university  of 

Connecticut 

libraries 


BOOK    974.67.P197H    v    1     c    , 


3  ^153  OOOSSflfiO  1 


fr<- 


HISTORY  OF 


WATERBURY 


AND  THE 


NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

CONNECTICUT, 


By  WM.  J._PAPE 

Editor  of  the  WaterburyRepublican 


ILLUSTRATED 


VOLUME  1 


1 


CHICAGO — NEW    YORK 

THE  S.  J.  CLARKE  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

1918 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I 
A  BIRDSEYE  VIEW 

IX  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  WATERBURY  HAS  ABOUT  GROWN  OUT  OF  KNOWLEDGE  OF 

ITS  OLD  SELF ITS  INDUSTRIAL  SUCCESS  THE  WORK  OF  MASTERFUL  MINDS 

HER  FAME  IN  METAL  MAKING  NOW  WORLD-WIDE INTENSITY  OF  PRODUC- 
TION IN  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  HARDLY  EQUALED  IN  ANY  OTHER  LIKE  EXTENT 
OF  TERRITORY  IN  THE  COUNTRY I 

CHAPTER  II 
THE  OFFICIAL  .CHRONICLES  OF  THE  CITY  OF  WATERBURY 

THE    FIGHT    FOR   CONSOLIDATION    OF    CITY,    TOWN    AND    SCHOOL   GOVERNMENT 

TAXATIOX    CHANGES    IN    A    QUARTER    CENTURY THE    TAX    RATES    AND    THE 

GRAND     LISTS THE      BONDED     DEBT STREET     IMPROVEMENT CITY      HALL, 

WATER,   SCHOOL  AND   SEWAGE   BOND   ISSUES CITY   OFFICIALS   SINCE    1893 

ITS    LEGISLATORS MUTUAL    AID    SOCIETY POLICE    DEPARTMENT START    OF 

THE  DETECTIVE  SERVICE THE  CONSTABULARY  FORCE HOW  THE  DEPART- 
MENT WORKS THE  TROLLEY  STRIKE  OF  I9O3 SKETCHES  OF  FORMER  CHIEF 

EGAX    AND   SUPERINTENDENT   GEORGE   M.    BEACH THE   FIRE  DEPARTMENT 

ITS  GROWTH   IN   NUMBERS  AND  EQUIPMENT THE  FIRE  OF   I9O2 RECORD  OF 

BIG  FIRES  SINCE   1893 THE   HEALTH   DEPARTMENT 4 

CHAPTER  III 
THE  CITY'S  PHYSICAL  PROBLEMS  AND  CHANGES 

ITS  SITE  NOT  IDEAL RECONSTRUCTION  OF  LEADING  THOROUGHFARES ITS  NEW 

BRIDGES THE  WATER  SYSTEM   AND  THE  BUILDING  OF  ITS  GREAT   CHAIN   OF 

RESERVOIRS THE     SEWAGE    DISPOSAL    PLANT     NOT    YET     COMPLETED LONG 

LITIGATION    WITH   FACTORY'  OWNERS SEWER  CONSTRUCTION  OF  A  QUARTER 

CENTURY THE  NAUGATUCK  RIVER  CONSERVATION  PLAN THE  WATERBURY- 

DERBY    BARGE    CANAL    PROJECT 3O 

CHAPTER  IV 
PUBLIC  BUILDINGS 

OLD  CITY  HALL  AND  ITS  AUDITORIUM MAYOR   ELTON  REMODELS  BLTILDING ITS 

DESTRUCTION  BY  FIRE NEW  BUILDING  PROJECTED BONDS  VOTED  AND  COM- 

iii 


iv  CONTENTS 

PETITION  ENDS  IN  SELECTION  OF  CASS  GILBERT  AS  ARCHITECT DESCRIPTION 

COST THE  DEDICATION  EXERCISES  IN   "OLD  HOME"   WEEK SALE  OF  THE 

OLD   CITY   HALL  PROPERTY THE  WATERBURY  COURTHOUSE DESCRIPTION 

THE  AGITATION   FOR  A  FEDERAL  BUILDING HOW   ITS  SITE  WAS  SELECTED 

CONSTRUCTION — DESCRIPTION      42 

CHAPTER  V 
PARKS  AND  CEMETERIES 

FIRST    MAP    OF    HAMILTON    PARK ENLARGING    THE    CITY'S    HOLDINGS LAND- 
SCAPE   WORK DRAINAGE    FOR    PONDS ANNUAL    TAX    PROVIDES    FOR    PARK 

IMPROVEMENTS CHASE  PARK  CREATED SWIMMING  POOL  A  BIG  SUCCESS 

ATHLETIC    FIELD    EQUIPPED PLAYGROUNDS    BOUGHT    FOR    DIFFERENT    SEC- 
TIONS OF  CITY THE  MUNICIPAL  FIELD  DAYS THE  LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE 

GREEN THE    CLOCK    AND    THE    FLAGSTAFF THE    FRANKLIN    STATUE THE 

CITY'S    CEMETERIES     52 

CHAPTER  VI 
SCHOOLS,  LIBRARY  AND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


GROWTH   IN  SCHOOL  POPULATION TWO   IMPORTANT   CHANGES   IN   SCHOOL  GOV- 
ERNMENT  ITS    NEW    MODEL    HIGH    AND   GRAMMAR    SCHOOL    STRUCTURES 

OUTSIDE    SCHOOL    DISTRICTS    INCLUDED EVENING    SCHOOLS MEDICAL    IN- 
SPECTION  MANUAL    TRAINING PLAYGROUNDS SALESMANSHIP    SCHOOL 

CONTINUATION     SCHOOL VOCATIONAL     SCHOOL VALUE     AND     EXTENT     OF 

SCHOOL    PROPERTY PRIVATE    AND    PAROCHIAL    SCHOOLS DAVID    C.    PORTER 

BEQUEST LIBRARY   AND    MATTATUCK    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY 6l 


CHAPTER  VII 
TRANSPORTATION  AND  COMMUNICATION 

THREE  NOTABLE  INDUSTRIAL  TRIUMPHS ELIMINATION   OF  GRADE  CROSSINGS 

ERECTION   OF  THE  UNION   DEPOT DOUBLE-TRACKING   THE   ROADS   ENTERING 

WATERBURY COST  OF  IMPROVEMENTS   MADE  IN   A  DECADE  IN  WATERBURY'S 

TERMINALS RAMIFICATION   OF   THE  TROLLEY   SYSTEM— ITS    GROWTH    FROM 

HORSE   CAR   LINE  TO   THE    NETWORK   OF   PRESENT  EXTENSIONS THE   GREEN 

LINE TELEGRAPH,  TELEPHONE  AND  EXPRESS 92 

CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  PROTESTANT  CHURCHES  OF  WATERBURY,   1892-1917 

the  first  church the  second,  third  and  bunker  hill  church,  congre- 
gational  italian  congregational st.  john's  and  trinity  episcopal 

— st.  paul's,  waterville — first  m.  e.,  grace,  st.  paul's,  south  and 


WEST   SIDE   HILL    M.   E. FIRST,    SECOND   AND  GRACE   BAPTIST GERMAN   AND 

SWEDISH  LUTHERAN  CHURCHES ADVENT  CHRISTIAN BUCK'S  HILL,  UNION, 

WATERVILLE    CHAPELS    IO7 


CONTENTS  v 

CHAPTER  IX 
THE  CATHOLIC  CHURCHES  OF  WATERBURY 

CATHOLIC     POPULATION     BY     PARISHES — IMMACULATE     CONCEPTION — ST.     PAT- 
KICK'S ITS     DEDICATION SACRED      HEART ST.      ANN'S ST.      CECILIA ST. 

FRANCIS  XAVIER — ST.  JOSEPH'S — ST.  THOMAS — OUR  LADY  OF  LOURDES — ST. 
MARGARET'S — BLESSED  SACRAMENT — ST.  MICHAEL'S — ST.  STANISLAUS — CON- 
VENTS   AND    SCHOOLS HOLY     NAME    SOCIETY SKETCHES     OF     MONSIGNOR 

SLOCUM  AND  FATHER  CURTIN — M'dVNEY  DAY 122 

CHAPTER  X 
CIVIC  ARCHITECTURE  OF  A  QUARTER  CENTURY 

BUCKINGHAM    BUILDING,    UNION   DEPOT,    CITY    HALL,    CHASE   OFFICE   BUILDING 

AND    WATERBURY    CLUB LINCOLN     BUILDING    PLANNED    BY    FAMOUS    NEW 

YORK   ARCHITECTS COURTHOUSE   PLANNED   BY    WILFRED   E.   GRIGGS,   ONE   OF 

MOST  BEAUTIFUL  STRUCTURES  IN  NEW  ENGLAND — FINE  BUSINESS  BLOCKS 
AND  RESIDENCES,  SUPERB  WORK  OF  LOCAL  ARCHITECTS THE  VARIOUS  ARCHI- 
TECTURAL PERIODS  AND  BUILDINGS  THAT  ILLUSTRATE  THEM WATERBURY'S 

HOUSING  PROBLEM I36 

CHAPTER  XI 
BANKING  AND  INSURANCE 

CAPITAL    AND    SURPLUS    OF    ALL    WATERBURY    BANKS DEPOSITS A    FIVE    YEAR 

RECORD   OF   CLEARINGS THE  YEAR    1916  A   BANNER   PERIOD   FOR  DEPOSITORS 

IN    SAVINGS   INSTITUTIONS MONEY   LARGELY    INVESTED    IN    MORTGAGES    ON 

WATERBURY  REAL  ESTATE HISTORY  OF  ALL  THE  BANKS  AND  TRUST  COM- 
PANIES  LIST     OF     OFFICIALS,      PAST     AND     PRESENT RECENT     INSURANCE 

HISTORY    146 

CHAPTER  XII 
HISTORY  OF  WATERBURY'S  HOTELS 

THE  FIRE  OF   1002  FOLLOWED  BY  AN   ERA  OF   HOTEL  CONSTRUCTION— THE  CON- 
NECTICUT   HOTEL EXCHANGE    HOTEL    ENLARGED RAISING   THE    FUND    FOR 

THE   ELTON THE  SUBSCRIBERS ITS    FIRST   YEAR'S    RECORD DESCRIPTION 

STARTING    THE     "IDEAL     TOUR" THE     KINGSBURY     AND     HODSON's MANY 

HOTELS  SPRING  UP  DURING  MUNITION-MAKING  PERIOD 156 

CHAPTER  XIII 
THE  HOSPITALS  OF  WATERBURY 

WATERBURY  HOSPITAL  IN  ITS  OLD  QUARTERS THE  NEED  OF  A  NEW  BUILDING 

CONTRIBUTIONS   POUR   TX    AND    NEW    HOSPITAL   DEDICATED DONORS   OF  THE 


vi  CONTENTS 

BUILDING     FUND OFFICERS GROWTH     IN     RECENT     YEARS THE     MEDICAL 

BOARD ST.  MARY'S  hospital,  the  inspiration  of  monsignor  slocum — 

ITS  DEDICATION THE  MEDICAL  BOARD l6l 


CHAPTER  XIV 
THE  ORGANIZATION  OF  CHARITY 

ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  ASSOCIATED  CHARITIES CHANGE  IN  OFFICIALS SOCIAL 

SERVICE   CLUB   AND   ITS    WORK AIDING   THE   RED   CROSS THE   BUILDING   OF 

LINCOLN    HOUSE THE  ANTI-TUBERCULOSIS   LEAGUE STARTING   THE   OPEN- 
AIR     SCHOOL RECORDS     OF     TWO     YEARS ITS     OFFICIALS FIRST     "UNITED 

CHARITIES" — DAY   NURSERY — THE   SOUTH MAYD   HOME — KING'S   DAUGHTERS 

BABY     WELFARE     STATION THE     QUEEN'S     DAUGHTERS DAUGHTERS     OF 

AMERICA SALVATION  ARMY 167 

CHAPTER  XV 
REVIEW  OF  WATERBURY'S  MANUFACTURES 

THE  CENTER  OF  THE  BRASS  INDUSTRY ITS  PERCENTAGE  OF  OUTPUT  BY  DECADES 

— CENSUS    FIGURES    SHOW    STRANGE    CHANGES — PRODUCTION    OF    NEEDLES, 

PINS,  HOOKS  AND  EYES NUMBER  AND  WAGES  OF  WORKERS  IN   WATERBURY 

FACTORIES   SINCE    1 899 CENSUS   FIGURES   ON   VALUE   OF   WATERBURY    PROD- 
UCTS  WHAT    WATERBURY    MANUFACTURES CONDITIONS    OF    EMPLOYMENT 

SEX  OF  WAGE  EARNERS THE  WORKMEN'S  COMPENSATION  LAW FACTORY 

CONSTRUCTION  SINCE  I9OO l8o 

CHAPTER  XVI 
THE  LARGER  BRASS  COMPANIES 

THE  CHARTER  OF   1 893 NEW   CONSOLIDATION   PERFECTED ITS   FIRST   BOARD  OF 

DIRECTORS CHANGES   TO   AN    OPERATING   COMPANY PURCHASES   THE    BUF- 
FALO     PLANT ITS      BUILDINGS      IN      WATERBURY,      TORRINGTON,      ANSONIA, 

KENOSHA    AND    BUFFALO NEW    CONSTRUCTION EARNINGS    OF    THE    COM- 
PANY  ITS    BALANCE    SHEET    FOR     I916 THE    EMPLOYMENT    BUREAU ITS 

HOUSING   PLANS TESTIMONIAL   TO   ITS   PRESIDENT,    CHARLES   F.   BROOKER 

SKETCH  OF  HIS  CAREER THE  SCOVILL  COMPANY- — ITS  PHYSICAL  GROWTH 

ITS      NEW      BUILDINGS ENORMOUS      EARNINGS OFFICERS      OF      THE      PAST   ' 

QUARTER   CENTURY EMPLOYMENT  BUREAU ITS    HOSPITALS I99 

CHAPTER  XVII 
OTHER  BRASS  AND  BRASSWARE  COMPANIES 

THE  AMERICAN  RING  COMPANY RANDOLPH  &  CLOWES  COMPANY THE  WATER- 
BURY ROLLING  MILLS A.  H.  WELLS  &  CO. — FRENCH  MANUFACTURING  COM- 
PANY  THE   PILLING  BRASS   COMPANY WATERBURY   BRASS   GOODS   CORPORA- 


CONTENTS  vii 

TION — STEELE     &     JOHNSON — THE     NATIONAL     COMPANY — THE     SMITH     & 
GRIGGS     MANUFACTURING    COMPANY — THE    SHOE     HARDWARE    COMPANY — 

PLATT     BROTHERS     &     COMPANY NOVELTY      MANUFACTURING     COMPANY 

BERBECKER  &  ROWLAND — MATTATUCK    .MANUFACTURING  COMPANY WATER- 
BURY  BUCKLE  COMPANY — L.   C.  WHITE  COMPANY NOERA  MANUFACTURING 

COMPANY THE     GENERAL      MANUFACTURING     COMPANY THE     AMERICAN 

FASTENER  COMPANY THE  SIMONSVILLE   MANUFACTURING  COMPANY — THE 

W  VTERBURY    METAL    WARES    COMPANY THE   SOMERS    COMPANY,    INC. THE 

CONNECTICUT    MANUFACTURING    COMPANY 2I4 

CHAPTER  XVIII 
CLOCKS,  WATCHES,  PINS,  NEEDLES,  HOOKS  AND  EYES 

THE    WATERBURY    CLOCK    COMPANY THE    BEGINNINGS    OF    THE    "iNGERSOLL" 

WATCH FROM    THE   "jUMBo"   TO   THE   SMALL   "DOLLAR"    WATCH MAKING 

ITS  OWN   CRYSTALS R.    H.   INGERSOLL   &   BROTHER   BUY  THE   NEW   ENGLAND 

WATCH    COMPANY    PLANT THE    STORY   OF    THE    "LONG    WIND"    WATERBURY 

WATCH THE  LUX  CLOCK  MANUFACTURING  COMPANY THE  AMERICAN  PIN 

COMPANY ITS    PLANT ITS    NEW    BUILDINGS    SINCE    IO/XD THE    OAKVILLE 

COMPANY  AND  ITS  EXTENSIONS OFFICIALS  OF  THE  BIG  PIN  COMPANIES.  .  .  .     224 

CHAPTER  XIX 
MACHINE  SHOPS  AND  FOUNDRIES 

THE    WATERBURY    FARREL    FOUNDRY    &    MACHINE    COMPANY THE    WATERBURY 

MACHINE  COMPANY THE  E.  J.  MANVILLE  MACHINE  COMPANY THE  BLAKE 

&  JOHNSON  COMPANY THE  WATERBURY  TOOL  COMPANY THE  LUDINGTON 

CIGARETTE    MACHINE    COMPANY THE    ROWBOTTOM    MACHINE    COMPANY 

ANDREW    C.    CAMPBELL,    INC. HENDERSON    BROTHERS SEYMOUR    SMITH    & 

SON THE    MANUFACTURERS    FOUNDRY    COMPANY THE    WATERBURY    CAST- 
INGS COMPANY THE  METAL  SPECIALTIES  COMPANY THE  ATLAS  MACHINE 

COMPANY WATERBURY  STANDARD  TOOL  AND  MACHINE  COMPANY WATER- 
BURY  PRESSED   METAL   AND  TOOL   COMPANY 23O 

CHAPTER  XX 
OTHER  MANUFACTURING  CORPORATIONS 

THE  INTERNATIONAL  SILVER  COMPANY — THE  AMERICAN  MILLS  COMPANY — THE 

WATERBURY    PAPER   BOX    COMPANY THE   WHITE   &    WELLS    COMPANY THE 

KALBFLEISCH     CORPORATION THE     WATERBURY     BATTERY     COMPANY THE 

WILLIAMS  SEALING  CORPORATION THE  WATERBURY  JEWEL  COMPANY THE 

AUTOYRE   COMPANY THE   LANE    MANUFACTURING   COMPANY WATERVILLE 

CUTLERY  COMPANY THE   MORDEN    MANUFACTURING  COMPANY THE  H.   L. 

WELCH     HOSIERY    COMPANY THE    WATERBURY     INSTRUMENT     COMPANY 

THE  WATERBURY  ICE  CORPORATION — THE  SPRING  LAKE  ICE  COMPANY — THE 

HELLMAN      BREWING      COMPANY THE      EAGLE      BREWING      COMPANY FEW 

MANUFACTURING    LOSSES     237 


viii  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  XXI 
THE  MASONIC  ORDER  AND  OTHER  FRATERNITIES 

EARLY    MASONIC    HISTORY HARMONY    AND    CONTINENTAL    LODGES MASONIC 

CLUB CLARK     COMMANDERY EUREKA     CHAPTER,     R.     A.     M. WATERBURY 

COUNCIL,  NO.  21 THE  WATERBURY  MASONIC  TEMPLE THE  ODD  FELLOWS 

NOSAHOGAN  LODGE — ENCAMPMENT  AND  CANTON— DAUGHTERS  OF  REBEKAH 

KNIGHTS  OF  PYTHIAS B.  P.  O.  ELKS KNIGHTS  OF  COLUMBUS ANCIENT 

ORDER    OF    HIBERNIANS UNITED   WORKMEN FORESTERS LOYAL    ORDER    OF 

MOOSE HEPTASOPHS EAGLES RED   MEN UNITED  AMERICAN   MECHANICS 

WOODMEN   AND   OTHER   FRATERNITIES FRENCH,    ITALIAN,    SWEDISH    AND 

GERMAN   SOCIETIES — LABOR  ORGANIZATIONS 245 

CHAPTER  XXII 

COMMUNITY  EFFORTS,  PHILANTHROPY  AND  REFORMS 

the  y.  m.  c.  a.  and  its  growth fund  for  new  building war-time  work 

the  waterbury  boys'  club mr.  combellacit's  great  work the 

boy  scouts  of  america the  waterbeury  industrial  school  and  girls' 

club the  temperance  movement  in  waterbury rescue  mission 

the   community   christmas   tree the   early   closing   movement 

elisha  Leavenworth's  benefactions 270 

CHAPTER  XXIII 

CLUBS  AND  ASSOCIATIONS,  BUSINESS,  SOCIAL,  PROFESSIONAL 

AND  PATRIOTIC 

THE     WATERBURY     CHAMBER    OF     COMMERCE ITS     BEGINNING     AS     THE     MER- 
CHANTS'    ASSOCIATION THE     WATERBURY     CLUB ITS     NEW      HOME THE 

COUNTRY    CLUB WATERBURY    DRIVING    ASSOCIATION AUTOMOBILE    CLUB 

NATURALIST  CLUB THE  ELKS  CLUB OTHER  SOCIAL  CLUBS PROFESSIONAL 

ORGANIZATIONS WOMEN'S  CLUBS  AND  SOCIETIES ATHLETIC  AND  SPORTING 

ORGANIZATIONS THE  G.  A.  R.  AND  W.  R.  C. WATERBURY's  REPRESENTATIO>' 

IN  STATE  PATRIOTIC   SOCIETIES SARSFIELD  CLUB 285 


CHAPTER  XXIV 
MUSIC  AND  THE  DRAMA 

WATERBURY  SYMPHONY  ORCHESTRA CHURCH   CHOIRS   REKINDLE   INTEREST   IN 

MUSIC THE  BUCKINGHAM   MUSIC  HALL ORATORIO  SOCIETY  AND  ITS  CELE- 
BRATED     MAY     FESTIVAL WATERBURY      CHORAL      CLUB GERMAN      SINGING 

SOCIETIES TFIEATRICAL  HISTORY  OF  A  QUARTER  CENTURY THE  ADVENT  OF 

POLl'S — -THE    MOVIE    PERIOD THE    WORK    OF    EUGENE    JACQUES AMATEUR 

THEATRICALS 298 


CONTENTS  ix 

CHAPTER  XXV 
THE  NEWSPAPERS 

Jill      WATERBURY    AMERICAN — ITS    NEW    BUILDING THE    EVENING    DEMOCRAT 

AND  ITS  SUCCESS  DUE  TO  THE  WORK  OF  ITS  FOUNDER,  CORNELIUS  MALONEY, 

AND    PRESENT    EDITOR,    VINCENT    MALONEY IN    ITS    NEW    BUILDING THE 

REPUBLICAN    SOLD    BY    THE    AMERICAN A   SECOND   SALE   WITHIN    A   YEAR 

RAPID  OROWTH  OF  Till'.  PAPER IS  MOVED  INTO  ITS  OWN  BUILDING MODERN 

EQUIPMENT POLICY   APPROVED    BY   THE   PUBLIC INCORPORATED PRESENT 

OFFICIALS — WEEKLIES  AND   MONTHLIES,   PAST   AND  PRESENT 307 

CHAPTER  XXYI 
WAR  AND  MILITARY  ACTIVITIES 

WATERBURY's  SHARE  IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN   WAR CITY  PAYS  TRIBUTE  TO 

LIEUTENANT   FRANK    W.    KELLOGG,   ONE   OF    HEROES   OF    BATTLE   OF    MANILA 

BAY,  AND  EIGHTY-TWO  VETERANS   OF   WAR THE   CALL  TO   ARMS   IN    I916 

WATERBURY  BOYS  MOVE  TO  MEXICAN  BORDER— OVATION  BY  CITY  ON  RETURN 

DECLARATION    OF    WAR    ON    GERMANY    FINDS    WATERBURY    IN     MIDST    OF 

RECRUITING   CAMPAIGN THE   NATIONAL   GUARD   GOES  TO  THE   FRONT THE 

DRAFT THE  LIBERTY  LOANS THE  RED  CROSS WATERBURY's   MANY  PATRI- 
OTIC  EFFORTS TRIBUTE   TO   ROCHAMBEAU 312 

CHAPTER  XXVII 
WATERBURY  IN  STATE  AFFAIRS 

WATERBURY    HAS    HAD   FEW    CITIZENS   IN    STATE   OFFICES GEORGE    L.    LILLEY   A 

NOTABLE  EXCEPTION HIS  CAREER  IN  CITY  POLITICS  FOLLOWED  BY  ELECTION 

TO   THE    LEGISLATURE   AND   THEN    BY    THREE   ELECTIONS    TO    CONGRESS HIS 

CONTESTS    ATTRACT     NATIONAL    ATTENTION ATTACK    ON     GENERAL    PAPER 

COMPANY FIGHT  ON   SUBMARINE  SCANDAL ADVERSE  REPORT  BY  CONGRES- 
SIONAL COMMITTEE RETURNS  FOR  VINDICATION  AND  IS  ELECTED  GOVERNOR 

HIS   SUDDEN   DEATH 3IO, 

CHAPTER  NNVIII 
WATERBURY  CORPORATIONS,  ACTIVE  AND  LAPSED 

COVERING    THE    PERIOD    FROM    1894    TO    1917    AND    INCLUDING    ALL    OLDER    COR- 
PORATIONS THAT  WERE  LEGISLATED  OUT  OF  EXISTENCE  DURING  THIS  PERIOD    323 

CHAPTER  XXIX 
\\  YTERTOWN  AND  ITS  INDUSTRIES 

POPULATION  —  CENTENARY       CELEBRATION — CHURCHES — SCHOOLS — LIBRARY — 

INDUSTRIAL    DEVELOPMENT SOLDIERS'     MONUMENT FIRE    DEPARTMENT 

VILLAGE  IMPROVEMENT  SOCIETY D.   A.  R. TOWN   OFFICIALS CENSUS 339 


x  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  XXX 
WATERBURY'S  NEAREST  NEIGHBOR 

COLONIAL  AND  LATER  PERIOD EARLY  INDUSTRIAL  DEVELOPMENT THE  RUBBER 

INDUSTRY'S     BEGINNING SCHOOLS CHURCHES HOWARD     WHITTEMORE 

LIBRARY THE       BOROUGH       GOVERNMENT THE       WHITTEMORE       BRIDGE 

WHITTEMORE  GIFTS BANKS PUBLIC  UTILITIES FIRE  AND  POLICE  DEPART- 
MENTS  NEW  POSTOFFICE THE  GENERAL  WASHINGTON   HOUSE THE  Y.  M. 

C.   A.   AND  SIMILAR   INSTITUTIONS 346 

CHAPTER  XXXI 
THE. TOWN  OF  SEYMOUR 

ITS  THREE  NAMES POPULATION CHURCHES SCHOOLS LIBRARY SEYMOUR'S 

BANK ITS  MANUFACTURING  INTERESTS TRANSPORTATION THE  SEYMOUR 

RECORD FIRE    PROTECTION    AND    DEPARTMENT PARK    AND     MONUMENT 

TOWN    OFFICERS SOCIETIES  AND   CHAMBER  OF   COMMERCE 364 

CHAPTER  XXXII 
THOMASTON,  THE  TOWN  OF  CLOCKMAKERS 

ITS  EARLY  HISTORY THE  BEGINNING  OF  ITS  CLOCK  INDUSTRY THE  INVENTION 

OF  ELI  TERRY  AND  SETH  THOMAS THEIR  MARVELOUS  WORK THE  GROWTH 

OF    THE    INDUSTRY ITS    SCHOOLS,    CHURCHES,    SOCIETIES,    GOVERNMENT 

ITS  LATEST  INDUSTRIES , 377 

CHAPTER  XXXIII 
TORRINGTON'S  RAPID  GROWTH 

SUMMARY   OF    ITS    INDUSTRIAL   DEVELOPMENT ITS    EARLY    HISTORY TORRING- 

FORD EARLY      EXPANSION SCHOOLS CHURCHES BANKS CHAMBER      OF 

COMMERCE LIBRARY Y.    M.    C.    A. HOSPITAL NEWSPAPERS ELKS'    CLUB 

HOUSE PARKS CEMETERIES BOROUGH    HISTORY    385 

CHAPTER  XXXIV 
WINSTED  IN  THE  HILLS 

ITS     HISTORY    FROM     COLONIAL    DAYS WINSTED    BOROUGH POLICE    AND    FIRE 

DEPARTMENTS LIGHTING SCHOOLS PUBLIC       LIBRARY HOSPITAL 

CHURCHES NEWSPAPERS ITS     INDUSTRIES BANKS CHAMBER     OF     COM- 
MERCE  Y.    M.    C.   A. WINSTED   CLUB 405 


Waterbury  and  the  Naugatuck 

Valley 


CHAPTER  I 
A  BIRDSEYE  VIEW 

IN  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  WATERBURY  HAS  ABOUT  GROWN  OUT  OF  KNOWLEDGE  OF  ITS 

OLD  SELF — ITS  INDUSTRIAL  SUCCESS  THE  WORK  OF  MASTERFUL  MINDS HER  FAME 

IN  METAL  MAKING  NOW  WORLD-WIDE — INTENSITY  OF  PRODUCTION  IN  NAUGA- 
TUCK VALLEY  HARDLY  EQUALED  IN  ANY  OTHER  LIKE  EXTENT  OF  TERRITORY  IN 
THE    COUNTRY. 

The  difficulty  which  will  confront  future  historians  of  Waterbury  will  always 
be  to  meet  the  standard  set  by  the  "History  of  the  Town  and  City  of  Waterbury," 
which  is  found  on  the  shelves  of  every  well  selected  Waterbury  library.  In  that 
work,  covering  the  period  from  aboriginal  days  to  the  year  1895,  Doctor  Anderson, 
Miss  Sara  J.  Prichard  and  Miss  Anna  L.  Ward  told  the  story  of  the  beginnings 
of  Waterbury  and  traced  the  progress  of  the  town  and  city  down  to  the  date 
of  compilation,  and  did  it  with  encyclopaedic  completeness  and  accuracy.  They 
had  access  to  all  the  important  material  which  is  in  existence,  the  enthusiastic 
co-operation  of  scores  of  people  whose  local  knowledge  and  facile  pens  assisted 
the  compilers  in  preparing  a  local  history  probably  never  surpassed  for  the 
loving  thoroughness  and  care  which  were  expended  upon  it. 

Most  of  that  work  was  compiled  in  the  early  '90s  and  in  twenty-five  years 
Waterbury  has  almost  grown  out  of  knowledge  of  itself.  A  new  generation 
has  lived  newr  chapters  of  the  city's  history  and  is  already  passing  away,  leaving 
its  story  unwritten.  The  Anderson  history  was  so  exhaustive,  so  accurate  and 
so  worthy  that  there  will  never  be  occasion  for  another  similar  work,  but  there 
is  room  for  a  volume  that  will  be  a  complement  and  a  continuation. 

It  was  this  idea  that  led  to  the  inception  of  a  volume  that  is  frankly  a 
supplement  to  the  previous  history,  to  deal  with  the  events  in  the  history  of 
Waterbury  and  the  story  of  her  progress  during  the  last  twenty-five  years,  and 
to  summarize  also  the  stories  of  her  sister  communities  in  the  Naugatuck  Valley 
whose  interests  and  histories  are  so  closely  linked  with  hers. 

As  far  as  possible  the  lines  of  the  preceding  history  have  been  followed.  The 
chapters  which  told  the  story  of  the  city  down  to  1895  were  taken  up  in  turn 
and  carried  down  to  date.  Several  considerations  have  prevented  the  editor 
from  doing  this  with  the  same  completeness,  however.  The  city  is  larger  many 
times,  and  to  devote  the  same  relative  amount  of  space  to  each  individual  or 
topic  would  be  to  expand  the  modest  work  originally  contemplated  into  a  small 

Vol.  1— 1 

1 


2  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

book-shelf.  The  community  is  many  times  busier  and  the  year  selected  for  the 
compilation  of  this  work  has  been  a  period  in  which  everybody  in  Waterbury 
has  been  overworked.  Yet  delay  would  have  caused  a  heavy  financial  loss  which 
would  have  been  an  injustice  to  the  publishers.  On  this  account,  in  several 
respects  there  are  deficiencies  of  which  the  editor  is  conscious.  The  chapter  of 
family  records  in  the  old  history  has  not  been  carried  down  to  date.  It  is 
genealogical,  rather  than  historical;  it  would  have  involved  so  much  research 
and  correspondence  extending  over  long  periods  and  extending  to  so  many 
remote  quarters,  and  would  have  required  so  much  time  and  effort  in  some  cases 
to  ascertain  and  verify  records  which  would  occupy  only  a  few  lines,  that  the 
editor  despaired  of  accomplishing  anything  of  value  in  the  allowable  time. 
Consequently,  it  has  been  left  to  some  person  or  organization  better  fitted  for 
the  task  and  to  less  crowded  times.  Still,  it  is  hoped  this  volume  will  be  found 
of  interest  to  readers  and  of  value  as  a  supplement,  in  spite  of  any  deficiencies 
which  may  be  found  to  exist. 

The  Waterbury  of  the  early  '90s  was  a  small  city,  which  was  just  beginning 
to  realize  that  it  was  destined  to  become  an  important  manufacturing  center. 
It  had  recently  been  a  factory  village,  almost  isolated  from  the  main  currents 
of  modern  life.  Its  history  was  rich  in  reminiscence,  but  its  industrial  and 
commercial  future  seemed  more  or  less  precarious.  There  seemed  to  be  no 
reason  why  it  should  survive,  let  alone  greatly  outgrow  any  one  of  a  number 
of  other  communities  in  Connecticut.  Indeed,  at  that  time  the  belief  was  preva- 
lent that  it  was  doomed  to  be  abondoned  by  the  brass  industry,  which  was  the 
city's  mainstay,  that  the  great  brass  factories  of  the  future  would  be  built  in 
the  West,  nearer  to  the  sources  of  supply  of  the  raw  materials. 

One  thing  that  the  pessimistic  prophets  of  that  era  failed  to  take  into  con- 
sideration was  that  while  Waterbury  was  largely  dependent  for  her  growth  and 
prosperity  on  one  industry,  and  on  the  lines  naturally  growing  out  of  it.  she 
understood  her  own  lines  of  business  thoroughly.  In  the  light  of  events,  wise 
observers  have  been  said  that  the  industrial  progress  of  Waterbury  has  after  all 
depended  upon  a  comparatively  few  men,  masters  of  their  business,  most  of 
whom  have  been  born  here  and  all  of  whom  prefer  to  work  here.  Some  of  these 
observers  are  disposed  to  narrow  this  down  and  say  that  Waterbury  would  not 
have  attained  her  present  importance  but  for  a  few  families,  who  had  lived 
and  worked  here.  This  is  largely  true.  In  many  cases  the  same  families,  and 
the  same  family  names  will  be  found  for  generation  after  generation,  building 
up  Waterbury  from  her  small  beginnings,  toiling,  inventing,  planning,  con- 
stantly improving;,  expanding  and  enlarging,  until  at  present  the  future  of  Water- 
bury seems   forever  assured. 

It  has  been  remarked  for  years  that  wherever  a  man  may  travel,  he  will 
find  metal  goods  that  have  come  from  Waterbury.  The  sun,  literally,  never 
sets  upon  the  work  of  Waterbury's  hands,  and  now,  as  in  the  past,  her  fame  in 
metal-working  is  world-wide.  This  draws  to  her  the  inventor,  the  skilled 
mechanic  and  the  merchant  from  all  parts  of  the  nation,  and  from  distant  lands. 
They  come  here  to  develop  their  ideas,  to  gain  their  industrial  training,  to 
supervise  the  manufacture  of  their  wares.  Sooner  or  later,  everybody  who  has 
a  small  article  which  can  be  made  out  of  the  metals  in  which  we  are  skilled  in 
working,  turns  up  in  Waterbury  to  ask  our  price  for  making  his  goods,  or  our 
help  in  devising  cunning  machinery  that  will  turn  them  out  for  him.  There  is 
a  perpetual  circulation  between  Waterbury  and  the  markets  of  all  the  world, 
from  which  the  community  perhaps  gains  as  much  or  more  than  it  imparts,  so 
that  at  the  present  time  the  city  and  her  sister  communities  up  and  down  the 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY        3 

valley  arc  known  as  reservoirs  of  mechanics  and  machinists  of  the  highest 
training,  intelligence  and  inventive  skill.  The  momentous  years  of  1915  and 
1916,  when  the  United  States  was  so  suddenly  called  upon  to  supply  Europe's 
desperate  needs  for  war  materials,  were  a  wonderful  illustration  of  this.  Among 
the  first  industrial  communities  which  was  set  to  work  for  Europe  was  this  city. 
Hence  the  giant  industries  of  1917  are  the  full  fruition  of  years  of  her  supremacy 
in  her  own  special  methods  and  of  the  reputation  which  she  has  gained  of 
knowing  her  business  thoroughly. 

This  is  characteristic  of  the  sister  towns  and  cities  of  the  busy  50-mile  strip 
which  is  down  on  the  maps  as  the  Naugutuck  Valley.  There  is  hardly  in  the 
known  world  such  a  narrow  compass  of  territory  in  which  there  is  such  an 
intensity  of  production  and  such  a  genius  for  industrial  leadership.  It  means 
something  that  for  years  before  it  became  a  part  of  the  larger  transportation 
system  of  New  England,  the  valley's  iron  artery,  the  Naugatuck  Railroad,  was 
remarked  as  having  the  largest  earnings  per  mile  of  any  stretch  of  railroad  in 
the  country. 

This  was  because  Winsted  in  clocks  and  knit  goods,  Torrington  in  brass, 
needles,  and  machinery,  Thomaston  in  clocks,  Naugatuck  in  rubber  goods,  Sey- 
mour in  fountain  pens,  copper  and  brass  goods,  Ansonia  and  Derby  in  brass  and 
machinery,  rivaled  or  duplicated  the  success  of  Waterbury.  Railroad  operating 
officials,  who  are  put  to  their  utmost  to  move  the  immense  volume  of  traffic 
developed  in  these  communities,  have  come  to  regard  the  Naugatuck  Valley  as 
one  great  factory  city  with  a  continuous  freight  yard  covering  the  fifty  miles 
between  Winsted  and  tide-water. 

But  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  this  wonderful  territory  and  population  are 
devoted  exclusively  to  the  material  side  of  life  in  which  they  excel.  The  old 
New  England  traditions  stand.  The  inner  life  of  religion,  education  and  culture, 
constantly  renewing  the  faith  and  courage  of  the  workers  of  the  community, 
are  manifesting  themselves  more  strongly  than  ever  in  movements  for  social 
uplift  and  development,  the  cleaning  and  fit  ordering  of  the  community  life  in 
its  outward  and  inward  manifestations,  the  patriotic  pride  that  shows  itself  in 
conscientious  and  unselfish  devotion  to  the  town,  city  and  state,  and  in  even 
wider  service.  The  perhaps  more  important  non-material  side  of  the  story  of 
these  communities,  if  fitly  told,  may  nourish  satisfaction  with  the  past  and  hope 
for  the  future  even  more  completely,  for  it  has  been  written  that  men  shall  not 
live  by  bread  alone. 


CHAPTER  II 
THE  OFFICIAL  CHRONICLES  OF  THE  CITY  OF  WATERBURY 

THE  FIGHT  FOR  CONSOLIDATION  OF  CITY,  TOWN   AND  SCHOOL  GOVERNMENT — TAXA- 
TION CHANGES  IN  A  QUARTER  CENTURY — THE  TAX  RATES  AND  THE  GRAND  LISTS 

THE    BONDED   DEBT — STREET    IMPROVEMENT — CITY    HALL,    WATER,    SCHOOL    AND 
SEWAGE  BOND  ISSUES — CITY  OFFICIALS  SINCE   1 893 — ITS  LEGISLATORS — MUTUAL 

AID    SOCIETY — POLICE    DEPARTMENT START    OF    THE    DETECTIVE    SERVICE THE 

CONSTABULARY  FORCE — HOW  THE  DEPARTMENT  WORKS — THE  TROLLEY  STRIKE  OF 

I903 SKETCHES    OF    FORMER    CHIEF    EGAN    AND    SUPERINTENDENT    GEORGE    M. 

BEACH — THE  FIRE  DEPARTMENT — ITS  GROWTH   IN   NUMBERS  AND  EQUIPMENT — 
THE  FIRE  OF  I9O2 — RECORD  OF  BIG  FIRES  SINCE  1893 — THE  HEALTH  DEPARTMENT. 

In  1893,  the  beginning-  of  the  twenty-five  year  period  of  which  this  is  a  history, 
Waterbury  was  in  the  midst  of  a  determined  battle  against  its  existing  cumber- 
some and  overlapping  form  of  government.  Under  the  old  charter,  there  were  in 
force  what  might  be  termed  three  distinct  local  governmental  powers,  each  with- 
out authority  over  the  other,  and  in  many  instances  duplicating  at  great  expense 
to  the  taxpayers  the  executive  functions. 

This  contest  between  a  rapidly  growing  city  and  a  town  which  embraced  a 
large  rural  population  without  municipal  needs,  had  now  been  in  progress  for 
some  years.  Recommendations  had  been  made  repeatedly  by  preceding  mayors, 
but  action  was  always  blocked  by  the  fear  of  added  taxation  in  rural  districts. 
In  1893,  however,  the  population  had  grown  to  such  an  extent  in  some  of  the 
outlying  sections  of  the  Town  of  Waterbury  that  the  need  of  city  betterments 
in  several  directions  was  imperative. 

In  1894  the  first  definite  step  was  taken  to  bring  about  a  consolidation  or  rather 
a  merging  of  the  city,  town  and  school  governments  which,  however,  was  only 
partially  successful.  On  May  7,  1894,  a  committee  consisting  of  Hon.  E.  G. 
Kilduff,  the  mayor  of  the  city,  George  E.  Terry,  then  states'  attorney,  Judge 
Charles  G.  Root  and  Thomas  D.  Wells,  was  appointed  by  the  two  governing  bodies 
of  the  municipality,  the  Board  of  Aldermen  and  the  Court  of  Common  Council, 
with  power  to  frame  an  amended  or  new  charter  for  the  City  and  Town  of  Water- 
bury. This  was  to  be  submitted  to  a  joint  session  of  the  council  before  or  during 
the  period  of  the  next  session  of  the  General  Assembly. 

The  work  was  admirably  conceived,  and  while  many  of  its  provisions  were 
nullified  either  by  the  council  and  by  the  Legislature,  acting  under  pressure  of 
strong  local  opposition,  these  were  adopted  in  later  years,  thus  showing  the  fore- 
sight and  wisdom  of  the  members  of  this  able  committee. 

The  report  was  submitted  on  February  25,  1895.  An  effort  to  have  the  pro- 
posed charter  voted  upon  by  the  people,  which  was  merely  an  effort  to  delay  the 
proposed  changes,  was  defeated.     Many  changes  were,  however,  suggested. 

On  May  13,  1895,  just  a  few  days  before  the  final  opportunity  for  presenta- 
tion to  the  Legislature,  a  committee  consisting  of  Thomas  D.  Barlow  and  Daniel 
Kiefer,  urged  immediate  action  and  on  May  23,  1895,  tne  proposed  charter  was 

4 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NTAUGATUCK  VALLEY  5 

officially  presented  at  Hartford  to  the  joint  standing  Committee  on  Cities  and 
Boroughs  of  the  General  Assembly. 

The  bill  as  passed,  however,  did  not  consolidate  the  city,  town  and  school 
governments,  but  in  its  regulation  of  the  municipal  government  was  a  tremendous 
step  forward. 

The  act  of  1895  extended  the  city  limits  to  include  the  actual  town  limits. 
This  was  a  hrst  great  step  toward  the  consolidation.  It  created  five  wards,  abol- 
ished the  Court  of  Common  Council,  giving  local  legislative  powers  exclusively  to 
a  Board  of  Aldermen.  Tt  provided  for  biennial  elections,  and  in  order  to  take  the 
affairs  of  the  city  as  far  as  possible  out  of  purely  political  contests,  and  to 
concentrate  the  attention  of  voters  on  municipal  needs,  the  date  of  these  elections 
was  made  the  first  Monday  of  each  alternate  October. 

The  charter  provided  for  the  election  of  a  mayor,  a  city  clerk,  a  treasurer, 
a  comptroller,  thus  abolishing  the  office  of  auditor,  a  city  sheriff,  two  agents  of 
the  Bronson  Library  Fund,  and  three  aldermen  from  each  ward.  It  provided  that 
the  collector  of  taxes  annually  chosen  at  the  town  meeting  of  the  Town  of  Water- 
bury  "shall  be  the  collector  of  taxes  of  said  city."  It  provided  for  a  much- 
needed  Board  of  Public  Works,  which  was  to  consist  of  the  mayor,  who  was 
ex-officio  president,  and  five  electors,  named  by  the  mayor  and  approved  by  the 
aldermen.  At  least  two  of  these  must  be  of  the  opposition  political  party.  It 
created  as  subordinates  to  this  Board  of  Public  Works,  the  Bureaus  of  Water, 
Streets,  Sewers,  Engineering  and  Assessment,  the  last-named  a  board  in  charge 
of  condemnations,  benefits  and  damages  arising  out  of  improvements. 

The  charter  gave  the  aldermen  the  power  to  appoint  the  city  attorney.  This 
office  was  abolished  in  1912,  when  a  legal  department  with  corporation  counsel 
and  assistant  was  created. 

The  charter  created  a  Board  of  Finance,  consisting  of  the  mayor,  ex-officio, 
the  comptroller,  the  president  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen,  and  three  citizens 
appointed  by  the  mayor. 

The  charter  created  Department  of  Public  Safety,  officially  known  as  a  Board 
of  Commissioners  of  Public  Safety.  This  consists  of  the  mayor,  ex-officio  presi- 
dent, and  five  electors,  appointed  by  the  mayor  and  confirmed  by  the  aldermen. 
It  has  charge  of  the  fire  and  police  departments. 

It  created  the  Department  of   Public  Health. 

This  was  at  least  a  basis,  and  a  very  effective  one,  upon  which  to  build  a  modern 
city  government. 

In  1899,  the  act  creating  Waterbury's  present  Department  of  Education  was 
passed,  and  this  provided  that  ''it  shall  have  the  care  and  management  of  all 
the  property  and  affairs  of  the  Center  School  District  of  Waterbury.  After 
this  act  shall  take  effect,  no  meeting  of  the  Center  School  District  shall  be  held 
for  any  purpose  whatever." 

This  was  the  second  step  leading  to  consolidation,  and  was  brought  about 
largely  by  a  prior  compromise  in  the  matter  of  taxation.  It  was  agreed  that 
taxpayers  living  beyond  the  old  city  limits  and  within  the  town  .limits  should  not 
pay  over  one-half  the  tax  rate  of  taxpayers  within  the  old  city  limits.  But  as  they 
were  compelled  to  support  their  own  schools  and  had  no  right  to  the  city's  water, 
sewers,  police  or  fire  protection,  this  concession  to  the  taxpayers  of  the  outside 
district  was  less  important  than  it  might  appear  on  the  face  of  it.  Tn  1899  the 
tax  levy  for  the  'nside  district  was  28  mills,  and  for  the  outside  14  mills.  The 
grand  list  for  that  year  was  $11,619,883  for  the  inside  district  and  $689,321  for 
the  outside  district. 

The  act     reating  the  Department  of  Education  had  a  far-reaching  influence 


6        WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

for  school  improvements.  While  it  limited  its  control  to  the  schools  in  the  old 
city  limits,  it  empowered  all  other  districts  in  the  old  town  limits  to  vote  them- 
selves in.  This  has  been  done  among  others  by  Waterville,  Town  Plot,  Mill  Plain, 
Bunker  Hill  and  Hopeville.  It  thus  created  uniformity  where  there  was  wide 
disparity,  and  in  many  sections  it  abolished  the  antiquated  system  of  school 
visitors. 

The  Department  of  Education  is  now  in  charge  of  a  Board  of  Education, 
consisting  of  the  mayor,  chairman  ex-officio,  and  nine  members,  three  of  whom 
are  elected  biennially  for  a  term  of  six  years. 

The  great  need  for  the  many  advantages  which  a  city  government  provides, 
was  now  more  deeply  impressed  upon  the  outside  districts  by  the  continuing 
increase  in  population.     Opposition  was  breaking  down. 

The  agitation  of  ten  years  and  longer  between  city  and  town  was  finally 
rewarded  in  igoi  by  the  long-needed  consolidation  act,  effective  on  the  first 
Monday  in  January,  1902.  The  important  change  was  the  placing  of  nearly  all 
the  old  duties  of  selectmen  in  the  Board  of  Aldermen.  In  1903  the  authority 
of  selectmen  over  the  poor  of  the  town  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  Board 
of  Charities,  which  was  then  created.  This  leaves  the  work  of  making  voters 
their  only  important  duty. 

In  191 1  it  was  found  necessary  to  pass  a  constitutional  amendment  so  that 
Waterbury  could  vote  for  city  and  town  officers  at  the  same  time. 

It  was  found  necessary  both  in  1896  and  in  1902  to  change  many  existing 
ordinances  to  conform  to  charter  revisions,  and  this  has  been  ably  done  by 
committees  appoined  by  the  Board  of  Aldermen. 

THE    FINANCES   OF    A   QUARTER  OF   A    CENTURY 

Taxation  has  always  been  the  stumbling  block  to  consolidation,  and  as  usual, 
it  was  a  compromise  that  brought  about  the  change.  In  1901,  two  taxation 
districts  were  created.  The  first  district  includes  the  entire  town  and  the  second 
includes  the  old  city  limits.  Until  191 3,  the  taxation  in  the  second  district  was 
segregated  into  what  was  known  as  the  inside  and  the  outside  rate.  The  "out- 
side" rate  was  of  course  the  compromise,  but  it  was  only  a  question  of  time 
when  city  improvements  and  city  benefits  would  be  town  wide.  The  effort  to 
stop  this  segregation  in  1905  and  1906  met  with  failure.  In  1914,  and  since 
then,  the  grand  list  and  the  tax  levy  were  divided  only  into  the  first  and  second 
districts. 

While  at  each  session  of  the  State  Legislature,  many  minor  amendatory  acts 
have  been  passed  for  the  benefit  of  Waterbury,  for  the  purposes  of  history  the 
great  changes  took  place  respectively  in  1895,  1899  and  1901. 

Two  tabulations  will  tell  in  figures  the  story  of  the  growth  of  Waterbury  ; 
its  grand  list  for  twenty-five  years  from  1893  t0  l9I'7>  ar>d  its  tax  levy.  It  is 
important  to  remember  that  up  to  1902,  the  valuation  was  on  a  one-third  basis. 
After  that  date,  under  the  state  law,  it  was  compulsory  to  assess  on  a  100  per 
cent  basis. 


THE    GRAND   LIST    SINCE    1893 


1893— $10,575,103. 
1894— $10,452,138. 
1895— $10,593,419. 
1896 $10,802,314. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

1897— $10,927,299. 

1898 — $1 1,161,962. 

1899 — $11,311,927;  Inside  Taxation  District. 

625,180.  Outside  Taxation  District. 

1900 — $11,619,883.  Inside  Taxation  District. 

689,321.  Outside  Taxation  District. 

M)Oi — $14,240,811.  First  Taxation  District. 

11.948,146.  Second  Taxation  District,  Inside. 

852,141.  Second  Taxation   District,  Outside. 

[902 — $43,791,382.  First  Taxation  District. 

37.332,117.  Second  Taxation  District,  Inside. 

2,184,184.  Second  Taxation  District.  Outside. 

1903 — $53,472,164.  First  Taxation  District. 

48,556,700.  Second   Taxation  District,   Inside. 

2,369,254.  Second  Taxation  District,   Outside. 

1904 — $48,493,629.  First  Taxation  District. 

41.357.537.  Second  Taxation  District,  Inside. 

2,563,690.  Second  Taxation  District,  Outside. 

1905 — $50,322,836.  First  Taxation  District. 

42,789,038.  Second  Taxation  District,  Inside. 

2,777,847.  Second  Taxation  District.  Outside. 

1906 — $53,193,784.  First  Taxation  District. 

44,965,922.  Second  Taxation  District,   Inside. 

3,143,583.  Second  Taxation   District,  Outside. 

1907 — $55,963,821.  First  Taxation  District. 

46,895,738.  Second  Taxation  District,  Inside. 

3,495,368.  Second  Taxation   District,  Outside. 

1908 — $57,790,131.  First   Taxation  District. 

48,131,658.  Second  Taxation  District,   Inside. 

3,829,330.  Second  Taxation  District,  Outside. 

1909 — $60,272,168.  First  Taxation  District. 

50,074,352.  Second  Taxation  District,  Inside. 

4,011,869.  Second  Taxation  District.  Outside. 

[910 — $63,654,111.  First  Taxation  District. 

52,247,869.  Second   Taxation   District,   Inside. 

4,551,989.  Second  Taxation  District,  Outside. 

191 1 — $66,385,300.  First  Taxation  District. 

54,041,099.  Second  Taxation  District,  Inside. 

5,450,878.  Second  Taxation  District,  Outside. 

1912 — $71,535,842.  First  Taxation  District. 

54,609,722.  Second  Taxation  District,   Inside. 

4,950,324.  Second  Taxation  District,  Outside. 

1913 — $74,526,824.  First  Taxation  District. 

55,676,872.  Second  Taxation  District,  Inside. 

5.3^6,<;2i.  Second  Taxation  District.  Outside. 

[914 — $77,022,701.  First  Taxation  District. 

67,491,635.  Second  Taxation  District. 

[915     $79,235,630.  First   Taxation   District. 

74,725,210.  Second  Taxation  District. 

[916 — $90,191,184.  First  Taxation  District. 

84,746,628.  Second    Taxation    District. 
191 7 — $104,600,000.     First  Taxation  District. 

102.000.000.     Second  Taxation  District. 


8  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

THE    TAX    RATE    FOR   TWENTY-FIVE   YEARS 

From  1893  to  1900,  the  town  tax  rate  was  in  effect.     For  these  years,  it  was 
as  follows: 

1893 — 3  mills. 
1894 — 2  mills. 
1895 — 5  mills. 
1896 — 5  mills. 
1897 — 5  mills. 
1898 — 5  mills. 
1899 — 6  mills. 
1900 — 6  mills. 
The  city  tax  rate  for  the  period  of  twenty-five  years  has  been  as  follows : 
1893 — 18        mills   (one-third  valuation). 
1894 — 18         mills   (one-third  valuation). 
1895 — 20         mills   (one-third  valuation). 
1896 — 18        mills  (one-third  valuation). 
1897 — 19         mills   (one-third  valuation). 
1898 — 19        mills   (one-third  valuation). 
1899 — 28        mills,  Inside  Taxation  District   (one-third  valuation). 

14         mills,  Outside  Taxation  District  (one-third  valuation). 
1900 — 32         mills,  Inside  Taxation  District  (one-third  valuation). 

16         mills,  Outside  Taxation  District  (one-third  valuation). 
1901 — 13         mills,  First  Taxation  District  (one-third  valuation). 

27         mills,  Second  Taxation  District,  Inside  (one-third  valuation). 

22         mills,  Second  Taxation  District,  Outside   (one-third  valua- 
tion). 

1902 —  2>-7      mills,  First  Taxation  District   (full  valuation). 

9.5      mills,  Second  Taxation  District,  Inside  (full  valuation). 

7.5  mills,  Second  Taxation  District,  Outside  (full  valuation). 

1903 —  3.4      mills,  First  Taxation  District   (full  valuation). 

12. 1      mills,  Second  Taxation  District,  Inside  (full  valuation). 

9.3  mills,  Second  Taxation  District,  Outside  (full  valuation). 

1904 —  3         mills,  First  Taxation  District   (full  valuation). 

12         mills,  Second  Taxation  District,  Inside  (full  valuation). 

8.6  mills,  Second  Taxation  District,  Outside  (full  valuation). 

1905 —  3         mills,  First  Taxation  District  (full  valuation). 

1 1.8     mills,  Second  Taxation  District,  Inside  (full  valuation). 
8.9     mills,  Second  Taxation  District,  Outside  (full  valuation). 

1906 —  3.6      mills,  First  Taxation  District   (full  valuation). 

1 1.1      mills,  Second  Taxation  District,  Inside  (full  valuation). 

8.7  mills,  Second  Taxation  District,  Outside  (full  valuation). 

1907 —  5         mills,  First  Taxation  District   (full  valuation). 

9.8  mills,  Second  Taxation  District,  Inside  (full  valuation). 

7.4  mills,  Second  Taxation  District,  Outside  (full  valuation). 

1908 —  5         mills,  First  Taxation  District   (full  valuation). 

9.8      mills,  Second  Taxation  District,  Inside  (full  valuation). 
y.y      mills,  Second  Taxation  District,  Outside  (full  valuation). 

1909 —  5.7      mills,  First  Taxation  District   (full  valuation). 

9.3      mills,  Second  Taxation  District,  Inside  (full  valuation). 
7.65    mills,  Second  Taxation  District,  Outside  (full  valuation). 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 


1910- 

-  6.00 

mills, 

10.00 

mills, 

8.22 

mills, 

1911— 

-6.7 

mills, 

9-3 

mills. 

7-76 

mills. 

1912— 

-  6.33 

mills. 

9.66 

mills. 

8.075 

mills. 

1913- 

-  6.33 

mills, 

13-99 

mills. 

14.405 

mills, 

1914- 

-10.06 

mills, 

7.48 

mills, 

1915- 

-10.50 

mills, 

8.70 

mills, 

1916 — 10.18 

mills, 

8.82 

mills, 

1917- 

-  974 

mills, 

9.07 

mills, 

First  Taxation  District   (full  valuation). 
Second  Taxation  District,  Inside  (full  valuation). 
Second  Taxation  District,  Outside  (full  valuation). 
First  Taxation  District   (full  valuation). 
Second  Taxation  District,  Inside  (full  valuation). 
Second  Taxation  District,  Outside  (full  valuation). 
First  Taxation  District  (full  valuation). 
Second  Taxation  District,  Inside  (full  valuation). 
Second  Taxation  District,  Outside  (full  valuation). 
First  Taxation  District   (full  valuation). 
Second  Taxation  District,  Inside  (full  valuation). 
Second  Taxation  District,  Outside  (full  valuation), 
First  Taxation  District   (full  valuation). 
Second  Taxation  District   (full  valuation). 
First  Taxation  District  (full  valuation). 
Second  Taxation  District  (full  valuation). 
First  Taxation  District   (full  valuation). 
Second  Taxation  District  (full  valuation). 
First  Taxation  District   (full  valuation). 
Second  Taxation  District  (full  valuation). 


WATERBURY  S  BONDED  DEBT 


In  1894,  the  net  bonded  debt  of  the  City  of  Waterbury  was  $243,800.00.  On 
January  1st,  1917,  it  was  $5,078,000.00.  In  this  vast  difference  lies  a  great  story 
of  achievement,  for  these  totals  represent  a  rapidly  expanding  municipally  owned 
water  supply,  the  entire  system  of  parks,  many  of  our  schools,  and  street  improve- 
ments, bridges,  a  sewage  disposal  plant,  and  the  new  city  hall. 

In  1896,  with  the  water  bond  issues  of  1895  and  1895  included,  the  debt  had 
grown  to  $904,000.00. 

In  January,  1902,  the  total  bonded  debt  of  the  city  had  grown  to  $1,560,- 
000.00,  of  which  $830,000.00  were  for  water  bonds. 

The  story  of  this  debt  can  best  be  told  in  the  last  figures  of  the  city 
comptroller : 


10 


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WATERBl'RY  AND  THE  XAUGATUCK  VALLEY  11 

The  curve  of  the  rate  of  interest  at  which  the  city  has  offered  its  securities  for 
sale  shows  some  interesting  fluctuations.  In  1894  and  1897,  the  city  marketed 
4  per  cent  bonds.  In  [901,  [902,  [904  and  [905,  it  was  able  to  place  them  at  3*/? 
per  cent,  hut  in  [906  and  1007  the  rate  was  up  to  4  per  cent  again.  In  January, 
1908,  the  rate  was  4  per  cent,  but  on  July  1 .  [908,  30-year  bonds  had  to  hear  4JA  per 
cent,  although  a  simultaneous  issue,  maturing  in  from  one  to  fifty  years,  was  placed 
at  ^l/2  per  cent.  In  i<)oo  and  u>io,  the  rate  was  4  per  cent,  in  19U  it  rose  to 
41 4  per  cent,  in  [913  it  was  4 '  _.  per  cent  on  10-year  bonds  and  4J/4  per  cent  on 
longer  maturities,  in  0)14  again  4  per  cent  and  in  1915  and  1916  4'4  per  cent. 

waterbury's  city  officials 
1893- 19 1 7 

Waterbury  has  been  fortunate  in  its  city  officials  to  whose  credit  must  go  the 
record  of  vast  improvements  which  have  kept  steady  pace  with  the  constantly 
increasing  population. 

The  mayoralty  votes  for  this  period  are  here  recorded : 

mayor,   1893-1918 

Daniel   F.    Webster Jan.  4,  1892-Jan..  1894  ;: 

Edward   G.    Kilduff Jan.  1,  1894-Jan.,  1898 

Thomas    D.    Barlow Jan.  3,  1898-Jan.,  1900 

Edward   G.   Kilduff Jan.  1,  1900-Jan.,  1904 

John   P.    Elton Jan.  4,  1904-Jan.,  1906 

Wm.  E.  Idioms Jan.  1,  1906-Jan.,  1910 

Wm.    B.   Hotchkiss Jan.  3,  1910-Jan..  1912 

Francis   T.   Reeves Jan.  1,  1912-Jan.,  1914 

Martin    Scully    Jan.  1,  1914-Jan.,  1918 

Wm.   H.    Sandland Mayor  Elect 

VOTE  ON  MAYOR,   1893-I917 

1893— Edward  G.   Kilduff   (D.) 2,590 

Daniel  F.   Webster   (R.) 2,413 

1895— Edward  G.   Kilduff    (D.) 2,683 

Daniel  F.   Webster   (R.) 2,520 

1897— Thomas  D.   Barlow   (R.) 2,983 

Edward  G.  Kilduff  (D.) .  2,966 

1899— Edward   G.   Kilduff    (D.) 3,740 

Thomas   D.   Barlow    (R.) 2,232 

1901— Edward  G.   Kilduff    (D.) 4,141 

George  H.   Cowell    (R.) 3,699 

1903— John  P.  Elton   (R.) 4,782 

James   M.    Lynch    (D.) 3,805 

1905— Wm.   E.   Thorns    (D.) 4,694 

Ralph   X.   Blakeslee   (R.) 4.1 13 

1907— Wm.   E.  Thorns   (D.) 5,189 

John  E.  Sewell   (R.) 4.059 

1909— Wm.  B.  Hotchkiss   (R.) 4-79° 

*Died  November.  1896. 


12  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Francis  T.  Reeves   (D.) 4,304 

Eben  J.  Lewis  (Soc.) 172 

191 1 — Francis  T.  Reeves   (D.) 4,373 

Wm.  B.  Hotchkiss  (R.) 4,136 

Frank  O.   Pilgrim    (Soc.) 1,048 

Wm.  H.  Noble   (Proh.) 63 

■    1913 — Martin  Scully   (D.) 4,757 

Albert  F.  Sherwood  (R.) 4,189 

Geo.  L.  Roehrig  (Soc.) 816 

1915 — Martin    Scully    (D.) 5,93i 

John  F.  McGrath   (R.) 3,854 

Chas.  Westendorff   (Soc.) 248 

1917 — Wm.  H.  Sandland   (R.) 4,933 

Martin  Scully   (D.) 4,296 

Charles  T.   Peach    (Soc.) 605 

CITY    CLERK,    1893-I918 

Wm.  R.   Mattison 1893 

Richard  F.  Grady 1894-1900 

Michael  J.  Ryan  1900-1904 

Geo.   H.   Nettleton    1904-1906 

Wm.  H.  Sandland   1906-1914 

Wm.  F.  Moher  1914-1918 

Charles  B.  Tomkinson City  Clerk  Elect 

COMPTROLLER,    1893-I918 

James  J.   Cassin    1893-1900 

Michael  D.   Russell    1900-1904 

Aug.   I.  Goodrich   1904-1906 

Michael   D.   Russell    1906-1910 

Henry  O.  Wood   1910-1912 

Michael  D.   Russell    1912-1918 

Elmer  E.  Parker   Comptroller  Elect 

TREASURER,    1 893- 19 1 8 

Bernard   F.  Reid    1893-1894 

Patrick  F.  Bannon   1894-1898 

Geo.  A.  Gibson   1898-1904 

Otis    S.    Northrop    1904-1906 

•  Edward  L.   Tuttle    1906-1910 

Henry  A.  Hoadley  1910-1912 

Edward  F.  Moran 1912-1918 

Roberts  G.  Hannegran  Treasurer  Elect 


-&i 


TAX    COLLECTOR,    1 893- 1 91 8 

Chas.  J.  Griggs  1893-1898 

Wm.  E.  Thorns  1898-1904 

Edwin  S.   Hunt    1904-1906 

Francis  T.  Reeves    1906-1910 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Arthur  F.  Ells    1910-1912 

James  R.  Lawlor   1912-1918 

Frederick  C.  Bauby Tax  Collector  Elect 

TOWN    CLERK,    1893-I92O 

James  J.  Madden 1893-1895 

Edward  H.  Belden 1895-1900 

Frank   P.   Brett 1900-1904 

John   Blair    1904-1906 

Frank  P.  Brett 1906-1910 

Robert  Palmer 1910-1920 

JUDGE   OF   PROBATE,    1893-I918 

Robert  A.  Lowe   1893-1910 

Michael  J.  Byrne 1910-1912 

Dennis  J.  Slavin   1912-1914 

Arthur  F.  Ells  1914-1916 

Dennis  J.  Slavin 1916-1918 

CITY   SHERIFF,    1893-I918 

John  W.  McDonald   1893-1904 

Wm.  J.  Rigney 1904-1906 

Matthew  J.  Smith 1906-1910 

David  R.  Walker 1910-1912 

Matthew  J.  Smith 1912-1918 

Robert  C.  Stone City  Sheriff  Elect 

SENATORS  FROM   WATERBURY  TO  THE  STATE   LEGISLATURE,    1893-I917 

1893 — Charles  G.  Root  1909 — Irving  Hall  Chase 
1895 — Daniel  F.  Webster  John  Hurley 

1897 — Edward  D.  Steele  191 1 — Lewis  A.  Piatt 
1899 — Warren  L.  Hall  Peter  Lawlor 

1901 — Wm.  Kennedy  1913 — John  F.  McGrath 
1903— Cornelius  Tracy  John  Hurley 

1905 — Henry  H.  Peck  191 5 — James  A.  Peasley 

Finton  J.  Phelan  John  Hurley 

1907 — Irving  Hall  Chase  191 7 — William  J.  Larkin 

John  Hurley  John  Hurley 

REPRESENTATIVES  FROM    WATERBURY  TO  THE  STATE  LEGISLATURE,    1893-I917 

1893 — John  L.  Saxe  1903 — John  Lines 

Linford  Fenn  Root  Frederick  E.  Cross 

1895-97 — George  H.  Cowell  1905 — Ralph  N.  Blakeslee 

Warren  L.  Hall  Samuel  J.  Marsh 

1899 — Harold  R.  Durant  1907 — Augustus  I.  Goodrich 

Frank  P.  Brett  Abner  P.  Hayes 

1901 — Geo.  L.  Lilley  1909 — Abner  P.  Hayes 

Francis  P.  Guilfoile  Augustus  I.  Goodrich 


13 


14 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 


[9]  r — Wm.  E.  Thorns 

Walter  E.  Monagan 

[913 — Wm.  E.  Thorns 
James  M.  Lynch 


1915 — Nathaniel  R.  Bronson 

Jesse  Devine 
191 7 — Peter  Fitzhenry 

Patrick  Healey 


ALDERMEN,    1893-I92O 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  aldermen  in  the  order  of  their  election,  begin- 
ning with  those  in  office  in  1893  and  ending  with  those  elected  in  1917.  Where 
aldermen  have  been  re-elected  the  name  appears  only  once : 

Charles  B.  Vail,  James  P.  Morris,  Wm.  P.  Loeffler, 


George   Barnes, 
Frederick  E.  Cross, 
Thomas  D.  Barlow, 
Michael  Begnal, 
Daniel  D.  Gregory, 
Edward  B.  Reilly, 
John  C.  Allman, 
Daniel  Kiefer, 
Patrick  W.  Halpen, 
H.  F.  Sanford, 
John  H.  Condon, 
Frank  I.  Ells, 
James  H.  Pilling, 
Warren  L.  Hall, 
Geo.  A.  Driggs, 
J.  Merrick  Gallond, 
Toseph  N.  Bernier, 
Wm.  H.  Wright, 
John  H.  Clohessey, 
Joseph  Weis, 
John  J.  Scully, 
John  McElligott, 
Edward  Fagan,  Jr., 
Eugene  J.  Sullivan, 
Michael  D.  Russell, 
Eric  A.  Thunberg, 
Henry  D.  Hotchkiss, 
Frank  R.  White, 
Edward  O.  Goss, 
Samuel  W.  Chapman, 
James  Callan, 
Timothy  L.  Horigan, 
Wm.  C.  Moore, 
Patrick  Holohan, 
John  Hurley, 
John  J.  Brophy, 
Ralph  N.  Blakeslee, 
Arthur  H.  Tyrrell, 
Robert  Walker, 
Frederick  W.  Chesson, 
Chas.  Boylan, 
Daniel  J.  Mahaney, 


Daniel  Foley, 
Thomas  Kane, 
John  T.  Phelan, 
Frederick  E.  Stanley, 
Louis  Gates, 
Geo.  M.  Beach, 
Walter  D.  Ford, 
James  H.  Murray, 
Stephen  J.  O'Brien, 
Edward  Fagan, 
Martin  Keefe, 
Chas.  L.  Holmes, 
Frank  Buck, 
Thomas  H.  Hewitt, 
J.  J.  Macauley, 
Adam  Callan, 
Patrick  Dunn, 
Lawrence  J.  Tobin, 
Frank  X.  Bergen, 
Albert  F.  Sherwood, 
Joseph  S.  Niell, 
Wm.  J.  Larkin, 
John  P.  Elton, 
Louis  E.  Fitzsimons, 
Thomas  B.  Walker, 
Wm.  J.  Spain, 
John  H.  Malone, 
Peter  Lawlor, 
Daniel  P.  Noonan. 
Edward  H.  Bowe, 
Martin  Scully, 
John  F.  Gallagher, 
John  F.  Hayes, 
Robert  Mackie, 
Chas.  A.  Fine, 
Charles  A.  Templeton. 
Geo.  E.  Sellew,, 
Herbert  J.  Phillips, 
Chas.  C.  Dreher, 
Leavenworth  P.  Sperry, 
Edson  W.  Hitchcock, 
Chas.  H.  Swenson, 


Edward  L.  Bronson, 
John  M.  Burrall, 
Thomas  J.  Magner, 
Patrick  J.  Reardon. 
Michael  Malone, 
James  A.  Duggan, 
Peter  Griffin, 
John  F.  Whalen, 
Peter  Hock, 
John  M.  Gill, 
Raymond  C.  Hutchinson, 
Fred  A.  Jackie, 
Wm.  R.  Keavene}, 
Theodore  F.  Nuhn, 
Dennis  J.  Clancy, 
Wm.  T.  Walsh, 
Daniel  T.  Farrington, 
Daniel  Regan, 
Alfred  J.  Wolff, 
Mortimer  Doran, 
Ferdinand  Wolf, 
Wm.  E.  Treat, 
George  F.  Lancaster, 
Patrick  H.  Robinson, 
Patrick  G.  Egan, 
Michael  J.  Bergin, 
John  R.  Logan, 
Howard  S.  White, 
Arthur  B.  Burton, 
Miller  C.  Haynor, 
Fred  W.  Nettleton, 
Geo.   Hargraves, 
Philip  J.  Riley, 
Geo.  F.  Mulligan, 
Patrick  McFadden, 
J.  J.  O'Sullivan, 
Edward  W.  Beach. 
Joseph  L.  Stanley, 
Charles  Schmidt, 
Addison  A.  Ashborn, 
Archibald  F.  Mitchell, 
Ralph  E.  Day. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  15 

HISTORY    OF   THE    POLICE    DEPARTMENT 

It  is  a  far  cry  from  the  present  police  department  of  Waterbury,  with  its 
seventy-nine  members,  its  modern  headquarters,  its  splendid  alarm  system,  to 
that  humble  beginning  in  1854,  when  the  Court  of  Common  Council  named  the 
eighteen  constables  for  the  newly  incorporated  city. 

In  1893,  the  beginning  of  the  quarter  century  of  this  history,  the  department 
was  still  under  a  Board  of  Police  Commissioners,  acting  under  the  charter 
amendment  of  1872.  George  M.  Egan  was  chief  and  under  him  was  a  small  but 
exceedingly  efficient  force  of  men.  It  was  on  January  31st,  of  the  year  1893, 
that  the  Mutual  Aid  Society  was  formed  and  this,  an  independent  beneficiary 
organization,  still  thrives  and  pays  out  of  its  funds  sick  and  death  benefits.  It 
has,  however,  no  connection  with  the  police  pension  fund,  which  was  authorized 
by  the  Board  of  Public  Safety  on  October  17,  1899. 

It  was  not  until  August  5,  1902,  however,  that  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the 
Reserve  Fund  of  the  Police  Department  of  Waterbury  was  formally  organized 
at  a  meeting  in  the  city  clerk's  office,  with  Commissioners  Franklin  A.  Taylor, 
Dennis  J.  Lahey,  Edward  B.  Hardie,  Peter  B.  Reeves,  and  George  B.  Beach  pres- 
ent, all  ex-officio  members  of  the  Board  of  Trustees.  At  this  meeting  Mayor 
Edward  G.  Kilduff  was  elected  president  of  the  board.  Commissioner  Lahey, 
secretary,  and  City  Treasurer  G.  A.  Gibson,  treasurer. 

For  some  time  previous  money  derived  from  time  lost  by  members  of  the  de- 
partment, properly  found  and  not  claimed,  and  five  per  cent  of  all  liquor  license 
money,  had  been  accumulating.  On  September  9,  1902,  Treasurer  Gibson  re- 
ported that  he  had  followed  out  the  authorization  given  him  to  purchase  city 
bonds,  and  that  the  financial  condition  of  the  fund  was  as  follows : 

84,000  City  of  Waterbury  y/2  per  cent,  January,  1926,  at  102.42 $  4,096.80 

$4,000  City  of  Waterbury  3^/2  per  cent,  January,  1925,  at  102.35 4,094.00 

£2,000  City  of  Waterbury  3^  per  cent,  January,  1924,  at  102.28 2,045.60 

Interest,  2.8  per  cent 66.1 1 

$10,302.51 
Balance   in   savings   bank 473°7 

The  fund  is  now  nearly  $40,000,  and  the  income  from  numerous  sources  is 
meeting  all  demands. 

The  first  pension  to  be  awarded  from  the  fund  was  given  to  the  widow  of 
Policeman  Paul  Mendelssohn,  who,  on  March  8,  1903,  was  shot  to  death  while 
in  the  performance  of  his  duty. 

In  1896,  under  the  revised  charter,  the  department  came  under  the  super- 
vision of  a  Board  of  Public  Safety,  the  first  members  of  which  were  Mayor 
Edward  G.  Kilduff,  Ellis  Phelan,  Wm.  C.  Moore,  Eugene  J.  Sullivan,  George  A. 
Driggs,  J.  Merritt  Gallond. 

In  190 1,  the  Gamewell  police  signal  system,  with  twenty-two  boxes,  was 
installed,  and  this  has  since  been  greatly  extended. 

On  April  22,  1902,  a  detective  bureau  was  formed,  with  Lieut.  Thomas  Dodds 
in  command. 

In  January,  1904,  when  Mayor  John  P.  Elton  took  the  presidency  of  the 
Board  of  Public  Safety,  its  members  were:  Geo.  M.  Beach,  George  A.  Driggs, 
M.  J.  Daly,  Charles  Y.  Kent  and  Louis  X.  Van  Keuren,  and  one  of  its  first  acts 
was  the  installation  of  the  Bertillon  system  of  identification.  The  first  patrol 
wagon  was  put  into  service  March  1.  1905.  The  first  auto  patrol  wagon  was 
bought  in  1910. 


V 


16       WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

On  October  28,  1905,  Chief  George  M.  Egan,  who  had  been  at  the  head 
of  the  department  since  1884,  retired,  and  the  present  superintendent,  George 
M.  Beach,  was  chosen  to  fill  the  vacancy.  He  had  been  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Public  Safety. 

The  police  department  lost  some  of  its  valuable  records  by  the  incendiary 
fire  of  1912,  when  the  old  City  Hall  was  burned.  Speedy  repairs  enabled  the 
police  to  re-occupy  their  old  quarters  within  a  month  after  the  fire. 

The  three  platoon  system  was  put  into  effect  on  May  5,  191 3. 

On  January  13,  1916,  the  quarters  in  the  new  City  Hall  were  occupied.  A 
description  of  these  appears  in  the  article  on  the  new  City  Hall. 

The  Board  of  Commissioners  of  Public  Safety  at  present  (1917)  is  as  fol- 
lows: Mayor  Martin  Scully,  chairman;  John  C.  Downey,  Alfred  J.  Wolff,  John 
O'Brien,  James  Crompton,  Arthur  B.  Burton. 

waterbury's  constabulary  force 

'  Early  in  1915,  several  of  the  large  manufacturing  companies  of  Waterbury 
co-operated  with  the  city  in  the  establishment  of  a  special  police  or  constabulary 
force. 

The  Scovill  Mfg.  Co.,  with  its  extensive  plant  and  equipment  and  large 
factory  additions  under  construction,  faced  the  need  of  special  protection  for  its 
plant  and  employees.  The  problem  was  solved  by  the  establishment,  with  consent 
and  co-operation  of  the  city  officials,  of  a  uniformed  constabulary,  paid  by  the 
Scovill  Mfg.  Co.,  but  under  the  direct  supervision  of  George  M.  Beach,  super- 
intendent of  the  Waterbury  Department  of  Police.  This  took  place  on  May 
21,   I915. 

Up  to  that  time  the  "constabulary"  consisted  of  ten  men  only,  all  members 
of  the  city  supernumerary  department,  and  was  divided  into  two  shifts,  a  day 
and  night  detail,  each  of  twelve  hours'  duration.  From  that  time  on  the  con- 
stabulary gradually  was  increased  in  number  until  it  reached  its  present  size  of 
forty-seven  members.  The  shortage  of  regular  policemen  to  patrol  the  city 
streets,  however,  resulted  in  the  detailing  of  many  supernumeraries  to  regular 
police  beats,  with  the  result  that  the  supply  of  supernumeraries  for  appointment 
to  the  Scovill  constabulary  was  finally  exhausted.  To  offset  this,  the  Board  of 
Public  Safety  took  advantage  of  an  ordinance  giving  the  Board  of  Aldermen  the 
power  to  appoint  special  constables,  by  referring  to  them  lists  of  names  of  ap- 
plicants for  appointment  as  supernumeraries,  with  the  recommendation  that  they 
be  appointed  special  constables. 

This  procedure  has  since  been  followed  out,  and  at  present  the  constabulary 
consists  of  about  fifty  per  cent  supernumeraries  and  fifty  per  cent  special  con- 
stables. In  several  instances  of  late,  where  vacancies  have  occurred  in  the  regular 
police  force,  the  appointees  were  supernumeraries  who  had  been  members  of  the 
constabulary  and  whose  work  in  that  capacity  had  earned  their  appointment  as 
"regulars."  The  supernumerary's  place  was  generally  filled  by  the  promotion  of 
a  deserving  special  constable. 

The  constabulary  is  a  department  of  police  in  itself,  works  on  three  eight-hour 
shifts  daily,  a  roundsman  being  in  charge  of  each  shift.  The  members  wear 
uniforms  and  are  equipped  like  members  of  the  regular  force.  The  roundsmen 
wear  chevrons  denoting  their  rank. 

Aside  from  the  daily  compensation  which  they  receive,  members  of  the  con- 
stabulary are  well  taken  care  of  by  their  employers,  the  latter  assuming  all  expense 
in  fitting  out  the  men  with  uniforms  and  equipment.     In  addition  to  this,  the 


WATER  lil'KY  AND  TIIENAUGATUCK  VALLEY  17 

company  has  had  rest  stations  erected,  which  are  located  on  the  various  beats 
surrounding  the  huge  plant.  To  these  the  members  are  privileged  to  retire  for  their 
lunch  and  for  short  rests. 

In  doing  police  duty,  the  men  patrol  only  those  thoroughfares  adjoining  the 
property  of  the  company,  and  are  not  required  to  do  duty  inside  of  the  plant, 
unless  in  cases  of  emergency.  The  company's  patrol  watchmen  serve  within  the 
gates  and  do  not  go  outside  except  in  cases  of  emergency. 

The  company  has  had  erected  five  police  signal  boxes  which  are  connected 
with  the  Gamewell  system  at  police  headquarters,  and  from  which  the  men  send 
in  their  regular  "rings.''  A  telephone  and  call  for  the  patrol  have  also  been 
installed. 

The  regular  department  now  consists  of  the  following  officers  and  men: 
Superintendent,  one  police  captain,  one  detective  captain,  two  police  lieutenants, 
one  detective  lieutenant,  four  police  sergeants,  three  detective  sergeants, 
three  auto-patrol  drivers,  one  court  officer,  two  motorcycle  policemen,  one  secre- 
tary, one  police  matron,  and  fifty-eight  patrolmen.  Three  doormen  also  do  duty 
at  headquarters,  but  they  are  members  of  the  supernumerary  police  force. 

A  similar  auxiliary  constabulary  system  has  been  established  at  the  Chase 
plant,  where  fifteen  special  policemen  are  employed,  all  patrolling  the  beats  about 
the  plants,  uniformed,  and  in  command  of  the  superintendent  of  police. 

At  the  American  Brass  Works  the  constabulary,  paid  by  the  company,  but 
working  in  conjunction  with  the  police,  numbers  sixteen  men. 

At  several  other  plants  the  constabulary  consists  of  from  one  to  three  men. 

The  detective  department,  in  charge  of  Capt.  Thomas  M.  Dodds,  has  made 
a  record  for  itself  in  the  unearthing  of  crime.  The  most  notable  case  was  the 
capture  of  the  four  men  concerned  in  the  murder,  March,  1905,  of  the  aged 
recluse.  Thomas  Lockwood,  who  lived  on  the  Park  Road.  The  report  that  he 
was  a  miser  and  had  a  trunkful  of  gold  in  the  place  had  aroused  the  cupidity  of 
the  men.  Captain  Dodds  followed  a  number  of  clues,  finally  landing  three  of  his 
men  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  Three  of  them  were  given  life  sentences,  and  one,  who 
had  helped  to  plan  the  murder,  was  given  a  five-year  term. 

The  Carpenilla  triple  murder.  September  2,  1907,  was  followed  by  some 
of  the  quickest  and  best  detective  work  ever  done  in  the  state.  The  murderer 
had  escaped  and  was  caught  on  a  train  at  Stamford  on  telegraphic  orders  which 
had  covered  every  possible  avenue  of  escape  from  the  city. 

On  September  20,  1909,  occurred  the  murder  at  Union  City  of  Stanislaus 
Kulivinskis.  In  this  case,  one  of  the  most  harrowing  on  record,  the  detective 
department  worked  up  the  evidence  to  the  minutest  detail,  showing  how  the 
woman  in  the  case.  Sophie  Kritchman,  had  first  shot  the  man.  then  allowed  him 
to  lie  dying  in  the  woods  for  twenty-four  hours.  She  then  went  back  and  cut 
the  man's  throat  with  a  razor.  When  she  found  later  that  he  was  still  alive,  she 
again  shot  him  five  times  and  left  him  dead,  as  she  thought.  He  was  still  breath- 
ing when  discovered  and  died  in  a  Waterbury  hospital.  The  case  first  ended  in 
a  mistrial.  Later,  on  a  change  of  venue,  she  was  convicted,  together  with  her  lover, 
Joe  Mitchell ;  although  the  latter  had  no  part  in  the  actual  murder  he  was  given 
a  life  sentence  and  the  woman  was  sent  up  for  from  twelve  to  fourteen  years. 

THE   TROLLEY    STRIKE   OF    I9O3 

On    Sunday   morning.    January    n.    1903.    approximately   one    hundred    and 

fifty  men  in  the  employ  of  the  Connecticut  Railway  &  Lighting  Company,  then 

operating  the  trollev  svstem.  refused  to  go  to  work.     The  immediate  grievance 
Vol.  1—2 


18  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

which  precipitated  the  strike  was  the  discharge  of  Wm.  Barrett,  an  employee,  who 
was  president  of  the  Amalgamated  Association  of  Street  Railway  Employees, 
Local  No.  193,  and  three  others. 

On  Saturday  night,  January  10th,  the  men  met  and  formulated  demands 
aside  from  that  asking  for  the  reinstatement  of  the  discharged  employees.  They 
asked  for  recognition  of  the  union,  a  ten-hour  day  at  22^2  cents  per  hour  for 
all  regular  and  extra  work,  and  a  company  order  that  all  employees  join  the 
union  within  thirty  days  after  employment. 

Through  its  general  manager,  J.  E.  Sewell,  the  company  rejected  the  demands 
and  informed  the  men  that  their  places  would  be  declared  vacant  if  they  failed 
to  report  for  duty  within  twenty-four  hours. 

On  Monday,  January  12th,  no  cars  were  regularly  operated.  On  Wednesday, 
Tanuary  14th,  the  attempt  to  operate  two  cars  was  met  with  obstructive  tactics 
by  the  strikers  and  their  sympathizers. 

On  Thursday,  a  few  cars  ran  on  the  Waterville  line  and  later  several  were 
operated  on  the  Oakville  branch.  At  Waterville  one  of  the  cars  was  badly 
damaged  by  sympathizers,  who  had  gathered  outside  one  of  the  factories  at  the 
noon  hour. 

On  Friday,  one  hundred  strike  breakers  were  housed  at  the  barns  and  the 
Oakville,  Waterville,  North  Main  and  Bank  Street  lines  were  operated,  but  not 
on  any  regular  schedule. 

On  Saturday  night  crowds  gathered  near  the  barns  and  a  riot  was  started, 
but  no  serious  damage  was  done. 

In  the  meantime  the  efforts  of  the  business  men  and  of  Mayor  Kilduff  and 
other  city  officials  to  effect  a  settlement  failed  completely,  neither  side  expressing 
a  willingness  to  make  concessions. 

The  strikers  now  began  a  systematic  boycott  of  individuals  and  business 
firms  who  showed  evidences  of  friendliness' to  the  company,  and  a  period  of  terror- 
ism followed,  in  which  the  efforts  of  the  company  to  run  cars  on  schedule  or  at 
night  only  partially  succeeded.  The  patronage  was  lacking,  even  on  the  lines 
which  were  operated  with  least  opposition. 

The  riots  increased  in  intensity  and  finally  on  Saturday  night,  January  31st, 
approximately  four  thousand  people  gathered  along  the  principal  downtown 
thoroughfares,  the  mob  getting  beyond  the  control  of  the  police.  Cars  were 
stoned,  the  mayor  was  hooted,  and  in  one  attack  a  dozen  were  injured.  One 
arrest  was  made  by  Dr.  A.  A.  Crane,  who  witnessed  an  assault  and  captured  the 
boy  assailant. 

The  officials  called  on  the  governor  for  aid,  and  the  following  day  about  eight 
hundred  men  from  the  First  and  Second  Regiment,  C.  N.  G.,  arrived  on  the  scene. 
They  remained  until  February  10th. 

A  period  of  comparative  quiet  followed,  broken,  however,  for  several  suc- 
cessive Saturday  nights  by  small  rioting  and  wrecking  of  cars. 

Thus  far  in  the  strike  many  of  the  business  houses  sympathized  with  the 
strikers,  but  deprecated  the  continuous  extension  of  the  boycott. 

On  Sunday  night,  March  8th,  Officer  Paul  Mendelssohn,  riding  for  the  protec- 
tion of  passengers  on  a  North  Main  Street  car,  was  killed  by  four  masked  men 
who  had  been  lying  in  wait  for  their  victim  at  Forest  Park. 

The  public  attitude  changed  immediately  from  neutrality  or  sympathy  to  a 
determination  to  put  a  stop  to  outlawry.  A  Citizens'  Alliance  was  formed  and 
$6,000.00  reward  was  offered  for  the  capture  of  the  murderers.  The  movement 
was  not  confined  to  this  action,  however,  but  became  a  determined  anti-boycott 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY       19 

crusade.  In  a  few  days  it  numbered  1,600  members  and  boycott  cards  which  had 
been  posted  throughout  the  city  were  torn  down. 

It  was  plain  that  the  strike  was  practically  ended  and  tbat  violence  had  been 
responsible  for  the  defeat  of  the  labor  cause.  It  was  not,  however,  until  August 
1  ith,  that  an  official  announcement  declared  it  off.  At  that  time,  by  agreement, 
most  of  the  old  men  were  taken  back,  all,  in  fact,  except  the  leaders  of  the  strike. 

On  Monday,  March  30th,  eighteen  were  arrested  by  the  police,  of  whom  eight 
were  held  for  complicity  in  the  Faber's  switch  affair  of  February  26th,  which 
was  an  assault  on  George  Morrisetta  and  Wm.  P.  Merne.  Six  were  convicted 
of  conspiracy  and  sentenced  by  Judge  Wheeler  to  ten  months  in  jail.  These  sen- 
tences were  never  carried  out.  as  the  boys  confessed  and  testified  in  the  trial  of 
Willis  Yandemark,  for  perjury,  the  following  June.  He  was  convicted  and  sen- 
tenced to  from  two  to  three  years  in  the  penitentiary. 

No  one  was  ever  arrested  or  convicted  for  the  murder  of  Officer  Mendelssohn. 

REPORT   OF   CHIEF  OF  POLICE  EGAN 

The  following  is  the  report  of  the  chief  of  police  on  the  strike: 

"On  Sunday  morning,  January  11,  1903,  Waterbury's  first  trolley  strike  was 
inaugurated,  and  from  that  time  until  the  following  Thursday  no  attempt  was 
made  to  run  cars  on  any  of  the  lines  in  the  city.  During  that  interval  considerable 
excitement  was  caused  by  the  arrival  of  non-union  trolleymen,  and  the  introduc- 
tion by  the  strikers  of  vehicles  of  all  kinds  and  descriptions  for  the  conveyance 
of  passengers. 

"On  Thursday,  January  15th,  the  Waterville  and  Oakville  lines  were  opened, 
the  cars  running  from  about  10  A.  M.  to  5  P.  M.,  and  upon  the  following  day  the 
Bank  and  North  Main  Street  line  was  opened  from  the  depot  to  Hill  Street. 

"On  Monday,  January  19th,  the  South  Main  Street  line  was  opened  from 
Exchange  Place  to  Mill  Street,  and  upon  January  22d  the  East  Main  Street  line 
was  opened  to  Wolcott  Street.  Thus  far  no  attempt  had  been  made  to  operate 
the  cars  later  than  5  .30  P.  M.,  but  on  January  26th  they  were  kept  running  during 
the  evening  on  the  'Waterville  line,  and  on  the  following  evening  they  were  run- 
ning to  Oakville.  On  January  28th  they  continued  to  run  during  the  evening  on 
the  Rank  and  North  Main  Street  line,  and  on  the  30th  they  were  running  to 
Xaugatuck. 

"At  that  time  the  cars  were  running  on  schedule  time  on  all  the  lines  except 
Bank  Street,  from  the  depot  to  Porter  Street,  and  East  Main  Street  from  Wolcott 
to  Silver  streets,  and  it  was  apparent  that  the  trolley  company  could  secure  all  the 
men  it  needed  to  run  its  cars,  notwithstanding  the  abuse  they  were  subject  to. 

"On  Saturday,  January  31st,  the  cars  were  running  on  all  lines  the  same  as  on 
the  preceding  day  and  there  was  no  indication  of  unusual  trouble  until  about 
9  P.  M.  Up  to  that  time  Exchange  Place  was  filled  with  the  usual  Saturday 
night  crowd,  but,  contrary  to  the  usual  custom,  the  crowd  seemed  to  increase  as 
it  grew  later,  rather  than  diminish.  About  9:30  I  ordered  the  patrolmen  from  the 
outlying  beats  to  come  to  Exchange  Place,  and  requested  the  manager  of  the 
trolley  company  to  withdraw  the  cars. 

"About  10  P.  M.  the  cars  arriving  in  Exchange  Place  had  many  broken 
windows,  which  sight  seemed  to  add  greatly  to  the  joy  of  the  crowd  there  as- 
sembled. I  again  requested  Mr.  Sewell  to  withdraw  the  cars  and  was  informed 
that  such  orders  had  been  issued. 

"About  10:30  the  crowd  in  Exchange  Place  was  reinforced  by  those  who  had 
attended  the  theaters,  and  from  that  time  until  about  I  A.  M.,  when  the  last  car 


20       WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

was  put  in  the  barn,  the  police  were  unable  to  protect  the  cars  or  the  men  running 
them,  from  the  mob. 

"Up  to  that  night  this  department  had  received  no  outside  assistance,  not  even 
from  the  local  civil  officers,  nor  had  any  been  requested  by  the  police  authorities. 

"After  the  riot,  when  it  was  evident  to  all  that  the  police  were  not  adequate 
to  preserve  the  peace,  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  call  upon  the  county  sheriff  for 
assistance,  and  upon  the  following  evening  about  10  o'clock,  in  response  to  that 
call,  the  entire  First  Regiment,  four  companies  of  the  Second  Regiment,  and 
two  machine  guns  arrived  in  the  city,  and  in  addition  to  the  out-of-town  troops 
the  two  local  companies  were  called  into  service. 

"On  the  day  following  the  arrival  of  the  troops  deputy  sheriffs  commenced 
to  arrive,  so  that  on  the  Wednesday  following  fifty  or  more  were  in  the  city,  a 
large  number  of  whom  were  placed  on  duty  on  the  cars. 

"On  Thursday,  February  5th,  four  days  after  their  arrival  the  First  Regiment 
was  withdrawn,  and  upon  the  following  day  the  out-of-town  companies  of  the 
Second  Regiment  were  relieved. 

"On  February  10th,  all  except  about  a  dozen  of  the  sheriffs  were  relieved,  thus 
leaving  the  situation  again  practically  in  the  hands  of  the  local  authorities. 

"About  the  middle  of  February  the  situation  was  again  greatly  aggravated 
because  of  the  strike  of  the  linemen,  lamp  trimmers  and  inspectors  of  the  lighting 
system  of  the  city,  which  system  was  also  owned  by  the  trolley  company.  Wires 
were  cut,  lamps  broken,  the  non-union  linemen  assaulted  and  abused,  mostly  in 
the  outskirts  of  the  city,  and  the  few  men  still  here  under  the  sheriff,  as  well  as  the 
members  of  this  department  who  could  be  spared  from  the  trolley  lines,  were 
kept  very  busy  in  their  endeavor  to  protect  the  city  from  darkness. 

"Thus  far  during  the  strike  it  was  not  deemed  advisable  to  place  policemen 
on  duty  on  the  cars  for  the  purpose  of  protecting  them  or  their  crews,  but  after 
the  assault  on  the  conductor  and  motorman  on  the  Waterville  line  on  the  evening 
of  February  26th,  one  policeman  was  placed  on  each  car  during  the  evening,  and  it 
was  not  until  after  March  8th,  when  Officer  Mendelssohn  was  killed,  that  two  men 
were  placed  on  each  car. 

"The  strike  caused  an  expense  for  state  troops  of  $15,000.00;  for  sheriffs, 
$7,000.00,  and  for  extra  police,  $5,000.00,  a  total  of  $27,000.00,  and  had  the  law 
been  the  same  then  as  at  the  present  time,  the  city  would  have  had  to  pay  the 
entire  amount. 

"It  is  not  my  purpose  to  enter  into  the  full  details  of  the  trolley  strike  and 
the  disorder  arising  therefrom,  with  which  you  are  familiar,  nor  to  offer  excuses 
for  the  errors  of  judgment,  if  any  there  were,  of  those  in  authority,  myself 
included.  I  simply  desire  to  call  your  attention  to  certain  features  of  the  case, 
which,  in  my  judgment,  should  the  future  develop  like  problems,  can  be  more 
readily  solved,  and  at  much  less  expense. 

"In  looking  over  the  ground  after  the  excitement  is  passed,  it  seems  to  me 
that  it  would  have  been  wise  to  have  placed  enough  extra  policemen  on  duty  when 
the  strike  was  declared,  not  only  to  protect  the  cars  and  the  men  running  them, 
but  also  to  maintain  good  order  in  the  streets.  Had  there  been  fifty  extra  police- 
men called  into  service  when  the  strike  was  declared,  and  at  least  two  of  them 
placed  upon  each  car  when  they  commenced  to  run,  the  rioting  of  January  31st 
would  have  been  unheard  of,  the  so-called  Waterville  assault  case,  costing  in 
court  fees  not  less  than  $3,000.00,  would  not  have  occurred,  and  Officer  Men- 
delssohn would  not  have  been  murdered.  Had  that  course  been  adopted  I  firmly 
believe  that  the  disturbance  would  have  ceased  much  sooner  than  it  did.  that  the 
presence  of  the  county  sheriff  and  State  troops  would  have  been  unnecessary,  and 


FIRE    CHIEF    HEITMAN 


SAMUEL  C.  SNAGG 

Former    Chief    Engineer,    Waterbury    Fire 

Department 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  21 

the  expense  to  the  city  for  extra  police  would  not  have  greatly  exceeded  the 
amount  actually  expended  for  that  purpose." 

SUPERINTENDENT  GEORGE  M.   BEACH 

Superintendent  of  Police  George  M.  Beach  was  appointed  head  of  the 
\\  aterbury  Police  Department  while  serving  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Public 
Safety  on  May  9,  1905,  but  it  was  not  until  October  28,  1905,  that  he  actually  took 
charge,  replacing  George  M.  Egan,  who  went  on  the  retired  list  with  half  pay 
for  life.  Before  assuming  charge  of  the  department.  Superintendent  Beach  was 
employed  by  the  Waterbury  Clock  Company. 

Since  taking  office,  Superintendent  Beach  has  often  displayed  the  executive 
ability  that  pronounces  his  qualifications  for  the  place,  and  has  made  a  number  of 
changes  in  police  methods  both  as  to  office  systems  and  the  detailing  of  men, 
which  have  resulted  in  improved  police  service.  He  is  a  strict  disciplinarian  and 
has  always  required  his  men  rigidly  to  adhere  to  departmental  rules  and  orders. 

Superintendent  Beach  is  a  member  of  the.  executive  committee  of  the  Inter- 
national Association  of  Chiefs  of  Police,  and  it  is  due  in  part  to  this  association 
that  he  has  been  able  to  establish  his  department  on  its  present  excellent  basis,  and 
keep  in  touch  with  police  departments  throughout  the  country. 

SKETCH   OF   FORMER   CHIEF   GEORGE   M.   EGAN 

Former  Chief  George  M.  Egan  has  an  enviable  record  as  head  of  the  police 
department  of  Waterbury  for  twenty-one  years,  and  a  member  of  the  department 
for  twenty-nine  years.  Chief  Egan  was  made  a  patrolman  on  April  8,  1876,  and 
promoted  to  the  position  of  Chief  on  February  17,  1884.  He  retired  October  28, 
1905. 

During  his  term  of  office,  the  detective  force  was  established,  the  Gamewell 
police  signal  system  was  installed  August  17,  1901,  and  the  Bertillon  system 
of  identification  was  introduced. 

HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRE  DEPARTMENT,    1893-I917 

In  1893.  the  Waterbury  Fire  Department  consisted  of  seven  companies: 
Phoenix  Xo.  i,  Citizens  No.  2,  Monitor  No.  3,  Protector  No.  4,  Rose  Hill  No.  5, 
Brass  City  No.  6,  and  Mutual  Hook  and  Ladder  No.  1.  Samuel  C.  Snagg  was 
then  chief  engineer,  and  had  under  him  267  officers  and  men,  mostly  volunteers. 
The  permanent  force  consisted  of  the  chief,  four  drivers,  one  tillerman,  two 
hosemen,  and  one  ladderman, — a  total  of  eight  men.  The  remainder  were  volun- 
teers. The  property  of  the  department  was  valued  at  $102,830.  A  fire  alarm 
telegraph  had  been  installed  with  forty-six  alarm  boxes,  at  a  cost  of  $9,800.  It 
was  an  up-to-date  equipment  for  that  period.  In  1894,  the  volunteers  had  increased 
to  290.  In  1895,  the  paid  force  had  increased  to  twelve,  the  volunteers  remaining 
about  the  same. 

In  1897,  the  Burton  Street  building  was  put  into  service  and  housed  Engine 
Company  Xo.  1  and  Hook  and  Ladder  No.  2.  The  permanent  force  now  con- 
sisted of  eighteen  men,  the  call  force  of  nine  men  and  the  volunteers  numbered 
243,  all  divided  into  nine  companies.  In  that  year  also  the  first  combination 
chemical  and  hose  wagon  was  put  into  service  with  Phoenix  Company  No.  1. 

In  1898,  the  volunteers  were  greatly  reduced,  no  men  remaining  in 
service  and  the  permanent  and  call  force  was  increased.  In  fact,  the  present 
efficient  paid  department  may  be  said  to  date  from  this  period. 


22  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

In  1899,  the  permanent  force  was  again  increased,  the  total  number  in  service 
being  17  officers  and  144  men.  In  that  year  there  remained  only  three  volunteer 
companies. 

In  1902,  after  the  big  fire,  a  first-class  Metropolitan  engine  and  hose  wagon 
were  added  to  the  equipment.    The  total  force  remained  about  the  same  as  in  1899. 

In  1903  the  Brooklyn  Engine  House  was  added  to  the  department,  in  1905 
the  Willow  Street  House  was  added,  and  in  1908  the  Baldwin  Street  fire  house 
was  opened,  the  Rose  Hill  Volunteer  Company  going  out  of  existence. 

In  1908,  the  equipment  was  enlarged  by  the  addition  of  the  first  auto  hose 
wagon  and  a  car  for  the  chief  engineer.  In  1909  a  chemical  auto  engine  was  added. 
In  191 1,  the  first  auto  pump  engine  was  placed  with  Engine  House  No.  5  on 
East  Main  Street.  The  permanent  force  was  now  seventy-seven,  and  there  were 
no  volunteers  and  no  call  men. 

In  1913,  a  Robinson  combination  pump  and  hose  auto  was  bought  and 
placed  with  Engine  No.  5.  This  is  the  largest  piece  of  equipment  in  the 
department. 

In  1914,  the  chief  engineer,  Samuel  C.  Snagg,  retired  after  thirty-two  years 
as  chief  engineer,  and  his  place  was  filled  by  the  appointment  of  the  present  chief 
engineer  and  fire  marshal,  Henry  H.  Heitman,  who  has  just  celebrated  his  twenty- 
fifth  year  of  service  as  a  fireman.  During  that  year,  an  underground  cable  system 
for  the  alarms  was  put  into  operation. 

In  191 5.  two  American-LaFrance  auto  pump  engines  were  placed  in  service 
with  Engine  Companies  No.  3  and  4. 

In  1916,  a  new  75-foot  aerial  truck  was  bought  and  placed  with  Truck  Com- 
pany No.  1.  In  that  year,  the  headquarters  of  the  department  were  moved  to 
the  City  Hall,  and  in  April  the  truck  company  from  the  Scovill  Street  House  was 
transferred  to  headquarters. 

In  1916,  another  combination  chemical  and  hose  auto  was  bought  and  placed 
in  headquarters.  A  triple  combustion  chemical  hose  and  pump  was  bought  and 
placed  in  Willow  Street. 

The  department  in  191 7  consists  of  eighty-five  paid  officers  and  men.  The 
valuation  of  the  property  of  the  department  on  January  1,  191 7,  was  $322,365.00. 

An  interetsing  fact  in  this  history  is  the  passing  of  the  fire  department  horse. 
There  are  today  only  six  horses  used  by  the  fire  fighting  forces  of  Waterbury. 

One  of  the  most  important  additions  to  the  department  in  recent  years  was 
the  installation  of  the  semi-automatic  central  fire  alarm  station  at  headquarters 
on  Field  Street. 

The  main  function  of  the  station  is  to  receive  and  transmit  signals  from  the 
various  boxes.  The  system,  as  constructed,  may  receive  and  record  at  the  same 
time  eighteen  alarms,  and  in  turn  transmit  to  the  houses  the  alarms  so  that  in  a 
space  of  three  minutes  there  can  be  received  at  least  two  rounds  of  the  eighteen 
calls  for  record.     The  equipment  was  installed  at  a  cost  to  the  city  of  $20,000. 

REPORT    OF    CHIEF    SNAGG    ON    THE    CONFLAGRATION    OF    FEBRUARY    2    AND    3,     I902 

The  largest  fire  in  the  history  of  Waterbury  occurred  February  2  and  3,  1902, 
and  for  the  purposes  of  this  history  the  most  complete  description  of  it  is  in  the 
official  report  of  Samuel  C.  Snagg,  then  chief  engineer  of  the  department,  which 
follows : 

February  2d,  at  6:20  P.  M.,  an  alarm  was  turned  in  from  box  7  for  a  fire 
in  the  Camp  Building,  Nos.  108  to  120  Bank  Street.  The  building  was  five  stories 
high  with  a  ground  dimension  of  61  by  94  feet.    The  Reid  &  Hughes  Dry  Goods 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY       23 

Company  occupied  the  three  lower  stories,  the  upper  being  occupied  by  a  business 
college  and   societies. 

The  first  intimation  of  the  fire  was  the  blowing  out  of  the  windows  on  the 
third  floor  front  of  the  building,  which  was  followed  by  a  dense  smoke  and  flame, 
pieces  of  cloth  on  fire  being  blown  to  the  sidewalk  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
street.  The  companies  were  prompt  in  responding  and  quickly  had  streams  of 
water  playing  on  the  fire.  Hardly  had  they  begun  work  ere  the  large  windows 
in  the  first  story  were  blown  out,  followed  by  a  sheet  of  flame  which  enveloped 
the  men,  driving  them  from  the  immediate  front  of  the  building.  The  first-story 
windows  in  the  rear  of  the  building  were  blown  out  at  this  time. 

Upon  my  arrival  on  the  fire  ground  I  found  the  fire  not  only  attacking  the 
buildings  on  the  east  side  of  Bank  Street,  but  crossing  the  narrow  passway  in 
the  rear  of  the  Camp  Building  and  attacking  the  five-story  Schlegel  Building;  a 
line  of  hose  was  at  once  ordered  and  quickly  gotten  to  this  point  and  an  effort 
made  to  keep  the  flames  from  penetrating  this  building. 

At  6:35  P.  M.  I  ordered  a  second  alarm  turned  in,  thus  calling  the  entire 
department  into  service.  The  high  wind  prevailing  at  the  time  had  increased  in 
force  to  such  an  extent  that  the  flames  were  being  driven  with  fearful  rapiditv 
across  Bank  Street,  also  attacking  the  buildings  both  north  and  south  of  the  Camp 
Building.  The  network  of  electric  light  wires  on  the  east  side  of  Bank  Street 
had  begun  to  burn  off  and  drop  to  the  ground,  or  hang  in  mid-air,  making  it 
extremely  dangerous  for  the  men  and  also  making  their  efforts  ineffective  at 
times.  Realizing  the  perilous  condition  under  which  the  men  were  working,  I 
requested  Mayor  Kilduff  to  notify  those  in  charge  of  the  powrer-house  that  the  cur- 
rent must  be  cut  off  all  wires  running  north  from  Meadow  Street,  and  this  was  done 
after  warning  had  been  given  as  to  the  responsibility  should  any  lives  be  lost  by 
reason  of  the  condition  of  these  wires. 

The  flames,  fanned  by  the  increasing  high  wind,  made  rapid  strides  through 
the  buildings  on  the  east  side  of  Bank  Street  to  the  west  side  of  South  Main 
Street,  although  heroic  efforts  had  been  made  by  the  men  to  prevent  it.  The  fire 
had  already  invested  the  Schlegel  Building  and  its  destruction  was  but  a  question 
of  minutes.  Aid  had  been  asked  from  New  Haven,  Hartford,  Bridgeport,  and 
Torrington.  each  of  these  places  responding  with  an  engine  and  hose  wagon. 
Xaugatuck  and  Watertown,  learning  of  our  distress,  sent  men  with  apparatus, 
who  were  soon  at  work  at  the  points  assigned  them. 

In  the  meantime,  the  fire  had  spread  from  the  Schlegel  Building  to  the  Franklin 
House  and  the  New  England  Engineering  Company's  building  on  Grand  Street. 
Aid  was  rendered  by  several  of  our  manufacturing  establishments  by  sending  hose, 
which  was  used  until  after  the  fire  was  under  control.  On  Bank  Street,  hard 
work  had  been  and  was  now  being  done  to  keep  the  flames  from  licking  up  all  the 
buildings  from  Center  Street  to  Grand  Street,  and  the  efforts  of  the  men  were 
finally  rewarded.  They  had  successfully  cut  out  and  saved  a  portion  of  the  build- 
ings on  this  street  near  these  two  points.  The  willingness  of  the  captains  to  carry 
out  their  orders  to  their  men  and  the  determination  of  the  men  "in  an  effective 
way-'  to  assist  in  executing  those  orders  was  very  gratifying  to  me. 

A  hard  fight  was  going  on  in  South  Main  Street  to  keep  the  fire  from  crossing 
to  the  east  side.  Although  not  wholly  successful,  a  very  creditable  stand  was 
made,  and  both  officers  and  men  worked  in  a  manner  most  commendable. 

Grand  Street  at  this  time  was  losing  its  row  of  handsome  five-story  buildings, 
the  flames  having  gotten  into  them,  spreading  from  the  Franklin  House  to  the 
Jacques  Building  and  not  being  checked  until  it  reached  within  one  building  of 
Leavenworth  Street.     The  attempt  to  prevent  the  spread  of  the  fire  at  this  point 


24  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

was  not  carried  on  with  any  degree  of  success  whatever.  Owing  to  the  lack  of 
hose  and  the  want  of  an  additional  hydrant  on  Grand  Street,  the  chance  of 
preventing  the  destruction  of  these  buildings  was  very  discouraging.  At  this  time 
our  own  department  had  nineteen  streams  playing  on  the  fire,  water  being  taken 
from  fourteen  hydrants.  There  was  an  abundance  of  water  and  good  pressure, 
but  the  streams  most  of  the  time  were  ineffective  by  reason  of  what  was  little 
short  of  a  gale  blowing. 

Upon  the  arrival  of  the  firemen  from  other  cities  with  their  engines  and 
hose,  they  were  assigned  by  me  to  hydrants  and  positions  at  the  fire.  They  were 
a  most  welcome  addition  to  our  fire-fighting  force.  These  men,  when  on  the 
road  to  render  us  aid,  fully  realized  the  task  our  department  had  on  hand,  and 
the  willing  and  effective  manner  in  which  they  carried  out  the  work  assigned  them 
was  highly  commendable. 

Torrington  men  with  their  apparatus  were  first  to  go  into  action,  their  engine 
being  stationed  at  the  hydrant  at  the  corner  of  Grand  and  Canal  streets  and  hose 
laid  in  on  Bank  Street.  New  Haven  was  by  some  person  without  authority  located 
on  lower  Bank  Street.  As  soon  as  this  was  discovered,  the  men  were  changed 
to  East  Main  Street,  their  engine  stationed  at  the  hydrant  at  the  Piatt  Building 
and  hose  lined  in  on  Bank  Street.  Hartford  was  stationed  at  the  northeast  corner 
of  Center  Square,  their  engine  attached  to  the  same  hydrant  as  our  No.  2  engine, 
and  their  hose  laid  in  on  South  Main  Street.  Bridgeport  was  assigned  to  the 
hydrant  at  the  corner  of  Bank  Street  and  Harrison  Avenue,  and  their  hose  lined 
in  on  South  Main  Street.  Naugatuck  and  Watertown  were  assigned  to  posi- 
tions on  both  Grand  and  South  Main  streets. 

Up  to  the  time  of  the  arrival  of  the  out-of-town  companies,  the  firemen  in 
our  department  had  passed  through  an  ordeal  such  as  has  been  the  lot  of  but 
lew  men  in  their  vocation.  On  the  street,  in  buildings,  and  on  the  tops  of  build- 
ings, they  were  constantly  facing  danger,  and  in  one  instance  half  the  men  of  one 
company  providentially  escaped  being  killed.  When  the  spread  of  the  flames 
had  been  checked  at  all  points  and  thoughts  had  been  turned  to  relieving  our 
out-of-town  friends,  I  received  word  that  the  Scovill  House  was  on  fire.  This 
was  about  4 :2o  A.  M.,  February  3d,  and  at  this  time  an  alarm  was  being  run  in 
from  Box  7. 

Chief  Fancher  of  New  Haven  and  I  were  engaged  in  conversation  when  this 
message  was  received ;  his  men  were  directing  a  stream  on  the  ruins  of  the 
Tones  &  Morgan  Building.  Upon  my  giving  him  the  information  I  had  received, 
he  at  once  ordered  his  line  changed  and  soon  had  a  stream  on  the  first  floor  of  the 
Scovill  House.  This  fire  originated  in  a  basement  room  known  as  the  stock-room. 
Prior  to  my  receiving  word  of  this  fire,  Assistant  Chief  O'Brien  had  gotten  a  line 
of  hose,  manned  by  Watertown  firemen,  into  the  basement  and  had  a  stream  at 
work.  Orders  were  at  once  given  for  all  hose  leading  from  the  engines  to  be 
brought  to  different  points  about  this  building  and  in  a  very  short  time  each 
engine  had  powerful  streams  at  work;  hose  leading  from  some  hydrants  were 
changed,  and  additional  streams  directed  on  this  fire.  Fortunately,  but  one 
engine  had  to  change  its  location  to  reach  this  fire. 

The  building  was  situated  very  close  to  the  buildings  on  the  east  side,  being 
separated  only  by  a  four-foot  passway  on  the  south  side,  Harrison  Avenue 
ran  between  it  and  the  buildings  there ;  on  the  west,  a  driveway  separated  it  from 
the  City  Hall.  Twelve  streams  were  brought  to  bear  on  the  Scovill  House  and 
the  buildings  nearby.  The  fire  made  rapid  strides  through  the  burning  building 
in  spite  of  the  efforts  of  the  men  to  prevent  it,  and  its  total  destruction  was  a 
quesion  of  a  very  short  time.     By  hard  work,  the  City  Hall  building  was  saved. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  25 

On  the  east  side  there  was  a  hard  fight  to  keep  the  fire  from  the  Hodson  Building, 
Exchange  Hotel,  and  other  buildings;  on  Harrison  Avenue  the  boys  were  per- 
sistent and  kept  the  buildings  at  that  point  from  harm. 

This  was  certainly  a  grand  fight,  all  things  considered,  and  all  who  took  part 
can  but  look  with  pride  upon  their  work.  Without  our  out-of-town  friends  and 
their  engines  and  hose,  this  would  have  been  a  fire  almost,  if  not  fully,  as  dis- 
astrous as  the  fire  that  had  already  filled  the  hearts  of  our  people  with  terror.  One 
of  the  employees  of  the  Scovill  House  lost  his  life  in  this  fire.  This  was  doubted 
by  many,  but  proved  only  too  true,  as  his  remains  were  found  by  parties  excavat- 
ing in  the  ruins  some  weeks  afterward. 

The  origin  of  both  these  fires  will,  in  my  opinion,  always  remain  unsolved.  A 
thorough  investigation  has  been  made,  but  nothing  ascertained  that  would  throw 
any  light  on  the  real  cause.  Many  theories  have  been  advanced,  such  as  incen- 
diary, gas,  hot  air,  combustion,  electric  light  wires,  and  rubbish  in  cellar;  these 
were  given  to  the  fire  in  the  Camp  Building.  To  the  Scovill  House,  incendiarism 
or  a  lamp  explosion  in  the  stock-room  were  the  most  probable,  especially  the 
latter,  all  electric  currents  and  gas  having  been  turned  off  from  the  city  at  the  time 
of  the  latter  fire. 

This  conflagration  brought  out  the  necessity  of  a  larger  and  better  equipped 
fire  department ;  the  very  forcible  illustration  that  we  should  have  none  but  a 
paid  service  and  that  composed  of  men  of  stature,  muscle  and  brain,  endowed 
with  courage.  The  service  rendered  our  city  by  the  officers  and  men  from  other 
towns  will  always  be  held  in  grateful  remembrance  by  all  our  townspeople,  and 
I  am  pleased  to  say  that  the  Honorable  Board  of  Public  Safety  promptly  took 
recognition  and  so  notified  the  proper  officials  in  the  cities  and  towns  whose  fire- 
men were  with  us  that  eventful  night  and  morning. 

The  firemen  of  our  own  department  who  performed  service  this  memorable 
night  and  morning  are  entitled  to  the  highest  praise  which  can  be  given  them. 
Their  work  on  that  occasion  speaks  volumes  for  them,  and  brings  out  vividly 
the  fact  that  Waterbury  had  firemen  in  her  fire  department  who  should  be  looked 
upon  with  especial  pride  and  who  are  sure  to  give  a  creditable  account  of  their 
services  whenever  called  upon. 

On  Bank  Street,  thirteen  buildings  were  totally  destroyed,  one  being  a  tem- 
porary two-story  frame  structure.  Eight  sustained  a  partial  or  slight  loss.  Of 
the  buildings  totally  destroyed,  two  were  five  stories,  five  four  stories,  five  three 
stories,  and  one  one-story  high. 

On  Grand  Street,  seven  buildings  were  totally  destroyed  and  seven  sustained 
a  partial  or  slight  loss.  Of  the  buildings  totally  destroyed,  six  were  five  stories 
and  one  four  stories  high. 

On  West  Main  Street,  one  building  (Scovill  House)  was  totally  destroyed 
and  three  sustained  a  partial  or  slight  loss. 

On  Center  Street,  three  buildings  sustained  a  slight  loss. 

With  the  exception  of  the  two-story  frame  structure,  all  buildings  totally 
destroyed  were  of  brick  and  twenty-nine  in  number. 

The  area  burned  over  was  about  two  and  three-fourths  acres.  Six  million 
gallons  of  water  were  used. 

Value  of  buildings  and  contents,  fire  of  2nd $1,803,172.57 

Value  of  buildings  and  contents,  fire  of  3rd 341,500.00 

Total   valuation    $2,144,672.57 


26  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Loss  on  buildings  and  contents,  fire  of  2nd $1,218,926.30 

Loss  on  buildings  and  contents,  fire  of  3rd I53>795-I9 


Total  loss  $1,372,721.49 

Insurance  on  buildings  and  contents,  fire  of  2nd $1,498,911.00 

Insurance  on  buildings  and  contents,  fire  of  3rd 172,600.00 

Total    insurance    $1,671,511.00 

Insurance  paid  on  loss  of  buildings  and  contents,  fire  of  2nd $    915,571.27 

Insurance  paid  on  loss  of  buildings  and  contents,  fire  of  3rd 69,207.78 

Total  insurance  paid $    984,779.05 

FIRES  OF   A   QUARTER  CENTURY 

The  following  is  a  record  of  notable  fires  of  the  past  quarter  century : 

1893 — January.    Clothing  store  of  F.  B.  Merriman  was  burned;  loss,  $12,000. 

April  19.  Lilley  Block  (South  Main  Street)  was  seriously  damaged;  loss, 
$64,000. 

April  21.  Casting  shop  of  Holmes,  Booth  &  Hay  dens  was  burned;  loss, 
$2,600. 

April  24.  Office  of  Benedict  &  Burnham  Mfg.  Co.  seriously  damaged;  loss, 
$16,932. 

Oct.  16.    Factory  of  Waterbury  Spoke  and  Handle  Co.  destroyed ;  loss,  $2,200. 

1894 — February.  Arcade  Building,  owned  by  R.  K.  Brown,  was  destroyed,  and 
the  store  of  Miller  &  Peck,  adjoining,  was  seriously  damaged ;  total  loss,  $80,000. 

Dec.  28.  This  was  the  date  of  what  is  known  as  the  "Piatt  Block  Fire."  It 
destroyed  the  second  and  third  stories  and  their  contents.  The  total  loss  was 
$68,944.73.     Total  insurance  paid  was  $65,147.93. 

1895 — June.  A  fire  started  in  the  center  of  the  Randolph  &  Clowes  Mfg.  Co.'s 
plant.  By  hard  work  the  firemen  got  the  fire  under  control  before  it  had  spread 
to  any  extent.  So  pleased  was  George  H.  Clowes,  of  the  Randolph  &  Clowes 
Company,  that  he  called  ex-Chief  Samuel  C.  Snagg  to  his  office,  before  the  last 
line  of  hose  had  been  taken  up,  and  presented  him  with  a  check  for  $100  for  the 
department.     The  loss  at  this  fire  was  $17,511.60. 

Nov.  20.  On  this  date  occurred  what  is  known  as  the  "North  End  Fire 
Epidemic,"  five  barns  in  the  district  being  burned,  causing  damage  to  the  sum  of 
$7,471.00. 

1896 — January.  The  lamp  department  of  the  Holmes,  Booth  &  Haydens  Com- 
pany was  burned.     Loss,  $17,000. 

March  28.  This  is  the  date  of  the  Waterbury  City  Lumber  &  Coal  Co.  fire. 
The  loss  was  $59,855.34.  Insurance  paid  was  $55,825.34.  Fifteen  horses  per- 
ished in  the  fire.  Lilley,  Swift  &  Co.,  and  Valentine  Bohl  &  Co.  also  sustained 
considerable  loss  from  this  fire. 

Nov.  28.    Jacques'  Auditorium  was  burned.     Loss  was  $13,459. 

1897 — September.  The  Waterbury  American  Building  was  seriously  damaged 
Loss,  $12,000. 

1899 — November  1.  South  Waterbury  (Simonsville)  fire.  Simon's  Block, 
corner  Middle  and  Simon  streets,  and  nine  dwellings  destroyed.     Loss,  $50,000. 

1902 — Feb.  1-2-3.     On  these  dates  occurred  the  big  Waterbury  fire. 

1912 — April  22.     The  City  Hall  was  totally  destroyed.     On  the  day  of  this 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  XAUGATUCK  VALLEY  27 

fire,  several  other  dangerous  fires  occurred,  some  happening  when  the  City  Hall 
was  burning,  thus  causing  great  confusion  and  excitement. 

April  3.     Baptist  Church  on  Grand  Street  destroyed ;  loss,  $50,000. 

1915 — December.  Buckingham  Street  fire.  Four  fine  residences  destroyed. 
Total  loss  was  $35,000. 

1916 — Jan.  3.  The  Connecticut  Hotel  on  Center  Street  was  gutted  by  a 
mysterious  fire,  which  resulted  in  the  loss  of  one  life  and  the  destruction  of  the 
hotel.     Six  other  guests  were  seriously  injured  in  escaping. 

FORMER   CHIEF    ENGINEER   SAMUEL    C.   SNAGG 

» 

Samuel  Craft  Snagg  was  born  in  Westport,  November  18,  1846.  He  came 
to  Waterbury  in  1856,  and  was  educated  at  the  high  school.  On  March  5,  1862,  he 
enlisted  at  New  Haven,  in  Company  C.  First  Regiment,  Connecticut  Heavy  Artil- 
lery, the  enlistment  being  credited  to  Waterbury.  At  Arlington  Heights,  in 
March,  1864,  he  re-enlisted  to  serve  until  the  end  of  the  war. 

Among  the  engagements  in  which  he  participated  were  those  of  Yorktown, 
Fair  Oaks,  and  Malvern  Hill.  He  was  mustered  out  of  the  Army  of  the  James 
at  Alexandria,  Va.,  and,  returning  to  Waterbury,  followed  his  trade  of  machinist 
until  his  election  to  the  head  of  the  fire  department,  on  February  3,  1882. 

For  nearly  half  a  century  he  was  connected  with  the  fire  department,  having 
joined  it  in  February,  1868.  He  was  a  charter  member  of  Monitor  Hose  Com- 
pany, No.  3,  and  was  foreman  of  the  company  for  three  terms.  Previous  to 
his  appointment  as  chief  engineer,  he  had  filled  the  offices  of  third  and  second 
assistant  engineer. 

In  1914,  he  retired  from  the  department.  His  loyal  and  faithful  service  was 
acknowledged  by  an  appropriate  pension. 

Chief  Engineer  Snagg  succeeded  Andrew  W.  Goldsmith.  Following  is  a 
list  of  those  who  have  served  as  chief  engineers  from  the  date  of  the  reorgan- 
ization of  the  department  until  the  city  charter  of  1853  to  the  present  time: 
Edward  S.  Clark,  Henry  Merriman,  James  P.  Goodwin,  Willis  Merrill,  B.  P. 
Chatfield,  William  Laird,  Homer  D.  Bronson,  Andrew  W.  Goldsmith,  Samuel  C. 
Snagg  and  Henry  W.  Heitman,  the  present  chief  engineer. 

CHIEF   ENGINEER    HENRY    H.    HEITMAN 

Chief  Henry  H.  Heitman,  born  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  on  August  14,  1864,  was 
appointed  to  the  permanent  force  of  the  fire  department  on  October  13,  1892. 
He  received  his  education  in  New  York  and  later  moved  to  this  city. 

Manifesting  a  keen  interest  in  the  work  of  the  department,  he  served  in  the 
volunteer  ranks  for  a  few  years  previous  to  his  appointment  to  the  permanent 
force.  He  was  assigned  to  duty  at  the  Scovill  Street  house.  His  executive 
ability  was  soon  recognized,  and  on  October  12,  1898,  he  was  appointed  captain  of 
the  Scovill  Street  house.  On  October  14.  1909,  he  was  appointed  drillmaster. 
He  was  promoted  again  on  November  1,  191 1,  to  the  position  of  deputy  chief. 
Upon  the  retirement  of  ex-Chief  Samuel  C.  Snagg,  Deputy-Chief  Heitman  was 
honored  by  the  appointment  as  head  of  the  department,  in  which  capacity  he  now 
serves.  On  October  13,  1917,  he  celebrated  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  his 
connection  with  the  department. 


28       WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

THE    HEALTH    DEPARTMENT 

The  health  department  has  kept,  pace  in  its  development,  not  only  with  the 
growth  of  the  city,  but  more  important  still,  with  development  along  protective 
lines  in  all  the  larger  communities  of  the  country.  Today  in  the  matter  of  milk 
inspection,  of  food  inspection,  of  medical  work  in  the  schools,  the  city's  health 
program  ranks  with  the  best  in  the  country. 

Dr.  C.  W.  S.  Frost,  who  was  the  Waterbury  health  officer  in  1899,  1900  and 
1901,  agitated  strongly  in  that  period  for  the  registration  of  all  cases  of  tuber- 
culosis, although  these  years  were  exceptionally  good  from  the  standpoint  of 
health.  It, was  in  1902  that  this  suggestion  took  practical  shape,  a  regulation 
which  is  now  an  important  feature  of  health  work  everywhere. 

In  1902  Dr.  Thomas  J.  Kilmartin  was  made  health  officer  and  had  at  once  a 
smallpox  epidemic  to  contend  with.  In  all  ninety-seven  cases  were  reported, 
with  a  mortality  of  less  than  3  per  cent. 

During  1904  the  health  department  made  two  important  advances.  The  first 
was  the  establishment  of  a  restricted  bacteriological  service  for  the  confirmatory 
diagnosis  of  disease  and  the  other  was  the  inauguration  of  medical  inspection 
of  pupils  in  the  schools.  Two  physicians  were  named  to  devote  one  hour  of  every 
school  morning  to  the  examination  of  the  children.  A  stricter  enforcement  for 
the  registration  of  tuberculosis  cases  was  also  instituted. 

In  1905,  after  the  legislature  had  granted  the  board  of  health  power  to  make 
its  own  regulations  for  the  preservation  of  the  public  health,  a  sanitary  code 
was  adopted  for  Waterbury  by  the  Board  of  Aldermen  at  the  suggestion  of  the 
health  board.  This  governed  the  handling  of  contagious  diseases,  the  care  and 
sale  of  milk,  and  provided  for  the  prevention  of  spitting  in  public  places. 

In  1906  the  bacteriological  work  was  greatly  extended,  and  the  code  was 
enlarged  by  the  addition  of  regulations  governing  the  condemnation  of  unsuitable 
foods.  Thus  gradually  the  city  was  becoming  thoroughly  metropolitan  in  its 
advanced  health  work.  The  death  rate  in  that  year  was  15.6,  which  compares 
favorably  with  other  cities  the  size  of  Waterbury.  The  birth  rate  for  1901  was 
28.6  per  thousand,  better  than  most  cities. 

During  1907  a  movement  for  cleaning  up  the  yards  of  the  city  was  begun 
and  with  the  help  of  the  clergy  and  other  public-spirited  citizens,  proved  a  decided 
success.  This  has  been  kept  up  ever  since  and  has  given  Waterbury  a  decidedly 
brushed-up  appearance  in  its  residential  section. 

In  1908  the  mortality  rate  for  Waterbury  was  14.7  per  thousand,  the  lowest 
it  had  been  in  some  years. 

The  Board  of  Public  Health,  acting  under  the  new  state  law,  organized  in 
January,  1910,  with  Dr.  A.  D.  Variell,  president;  Dr.  Charles  Engelke,  health 
officer ;  Dr.  E.  W.  Goodenough,  medical  inspector  of  schools ;  J.  A.  Lundin,  sani- 
tary inspector;  Dr.  D.  B.  Deming,  bacteriologist;  and  Dr.  P.  S.  Keeley,  milk 
and  food  inspector. 

In  this  year  the  appearance  of  typhoid  in  the  outlying  watershed  districts 
caused  an  immediate  inspection  of  the  city's  reservoirs,  and  a  careful  guarding 
of  its  supply.  These  timely  precautions  saved  the  city  from  what  might  have 
become  an  epidemic.  The  water,  tested  daily,  was  found  to  be  in  unusually  good 
condition  throughout  this  period. 

In  191 1  the  appropriation  was  enlarged  to  admit  of  experimenting  in  the 
analyzing  of  milk  for  the  presence  of  bacteria,  a  great  advance  in  the  health 
work  of  the  city. 

In  1912  Dr.  T.  J.  Kilmartin  was  reappointed  health  inspector,  which  position 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK   VALLEY  29 

he  still  occupies.  _T.  F.  Carmody  was  appointed  president  of  the  Board  of 
Commissioners  of  Public  Health.  This  year  was  marked  by  the  appointment  of 
a  tenement  house  inspector,  another  great  advance  in  health   work. 

In  1902  a  crematory  for  the  disposal  of  the  city's  garbage  was  installed  at 
Waterville  and  was  in  use  until  1911,  when  a  contract  was  awarded  for  removal 
of  garbage  and  its  feeding  to  swine. 

The  garbage  collecting  and  disposal  is  now  in  charge  of  a  supervisor,  John  P. 
Caffery.  The  city  has  sixteen  wagons  collecting.  The  garbage  is  used  for  feeding 
swine,  and  is  turned  over  free  to  those  who  collect.  It  is  costing  the  city 
approximately  $27,000  a  year  to  collect  and  dispose  of  its  garbage.  A  decade 
ago  the  cost,  with  a  population  much  less,  was  over  $24,000.  The  collection  now 
includes  Waterville,  East  Farms,  and  Town  Plot. 

In  1916  the  epidemic  of  infantile  paralysis  was  met  by  a  stringently  enforced 
quarantine.  The  result  was  that  there  were  but  seventeen  cases  in  Waterbury. 
In  October  of  that  year,  however,  there  was  a  smallpox  epidemic  to  contend  with. 
So  drastic  were  the  precautions  that  there  has  in  191 7  been  no  sign  of  a 
recurrence. 

In  1917  the  Commissioners  of  the  Board  of  Health  officials  are  as  follows: 
Board  members,  Dr.  J.  D.  Freney,  T.  F.  Carmody,  Charles  A.  Babin,  Dr.  W.  L. 
Barber,  Sr.,  George  Hargraves;  health  officer,  Dr.  T.  J.  Kilmartin;  sanitary 
inspector,  Edward  F.  Callahan;  milk  and  food  inspector,  Dr.  Peter  F.  Keeley; 
bacteriologist,  Dr.  T.  F.  Healey;  tenement  house  inspector,  Thomas  B.  Moran; 
superintendent  of  garbage  collection,  John  P.  Caffery;  medical  inspectors  of 
schools,  Dr.  J.  W.  Fruin,  Dr.  C.  A.  Monagan ;  school  nurses,  Miss  Mary  Monagan, 
Mrs.  Annie  Grady;  clerk  and  secretary  to  health  department,  Lucy  J.  Reid. 

The  latter  was  appointed  the  first  clerk  of  the  health  department  in  191 1  and 
has  since  held  that  position. 

THE    BOARD    OF    CHARITIES 

The  work  of  the  Board  of  Charities  is  devoted  largely  to  the  care  of  the  city's 
poor.  The  city  almshouse,  which,  in  1902,  was  given  the  name  of  Brookside,  now 
houses  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  inmates,  and  this  has  been  its  average  for 
nearly  two  decades.  It  was  built  in  1892,  and  in  the  past  twenty-five  years  many 
improvements  have  been  made,  the  exterior  of  the  building  remaining  about  as  it 
was  at  the  beginning  of  this  quarter  century,  1893. 

The  average  of  tubercular  patients  sent  by  the  board  to  the  Meriden  State 
Sanitarium  in  the  past  five  years  has  been  about  fifty;  to  the  Shelton  State 
Sanitarium,  about  five :  to  the  Hartford  State  Sanitarium,  eight,  and  to  the  Nor- 
wich  State   Sanitarium,   two. 


CHAPTER  III 
THE  CITY'S  PHYSICAL  PROBLEMS  AND  CHANGES 

ITS    SITE    NOT    IDEAL RECONSTRUCTION    OF    LEADING    THOROUGHFARES ITS     NEW 

BRIDGES — THE  WATER  SYSTEM  AND  THE  BUILDING  OF  ITS  GREAT  CHAIN  OF  RESER- 
VOIRS— THE   SEWAGE  DISPOSAL   PLANT    NOT    YET    COMPLETED LONG    LITIGATION 

WITH   FACTORY  OWNERS SEWER   CONSTRUCTION   OF  A   QUARTER  CENTURY THE 

NAUGATUCK  RIVER  CONSERVATION  PLAN THE  WATERBURY-DERBY  BARGE  CANAL 

PROJECT. 

Rapid  growth  in  population  and  a  site  remarkable  for  its  natural  perversities 
have  combined  to  make  the  ordering  of  Waterbury's  physical  growth  a  cluster  of 
complex  and  difficult  problems.  The  growth  in  population  has  been  far  greater 
than  the  average  for  New  England  cities,  and  has  been  equalled  by  few  commu- 
nities in  the  older  states. 

With  all  due  respect  to  the  forefathers  who  founded  and  developed  Waterbury, 
it  must  be  conceded  that  they  did  not  select  an  eligible  site  for  a  large  industrial 
city.  When  the  reasonably  level  land  which  formed  the  river  valley  was  occupied, 
and  the  city  began  to  expand  in  all  directions,  it  was  found  that  all  future  growth 
must  be  uphill.  The  hills  were  many,  steep  and  rocky,  the  ground  was  obdurate. 
Builders  have  discovered  that  it  may  cost  nearly  as  much  to  blast  out  a  cellar  as 
to  build  a  small  house,  while  on  the  other  hand  a  pocket  of  fine  building  sand,  a 
commodity  which  is  as  good  as  gold  in  Waterbury,  may  be  unearthed  and  sold 
for  enough  to  pay  for  excavation.  Most  streets  and  many  building  sites  call  for 
expensive  grading  and  sometimes  there  is  filling  to  be  given  away  and  at  other 
points  it  brings  a  premium. 

On  account  of  the  hilly  contours  and  gravelly  soil,  highways  are  expensive 
to  build  and  maintain  and  much  permanent  paving  is  needed,  more  in  fact  than 
the  city  has  been  able  to  provide.  Water  and  gas  mains  and  sewer  lines  must 
frequently  be  laid  for  considerable  distances  through  rock. 

The  approaches  to  the  city  running  through  narrow  valleys  or  over  consid- 
erable hills  are  difficult.  When  the  New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad 
double-tracked  the  Naugatuck  division  through  Waterbury  in  1905-7.  it  was 
necessary  to  move  or  divert  the  Naugatuck  River  in  places  to  find  room  for  a 
reasonably  straight  double  track. 

The  supply  of  water,  of  which  large  quantities  are  necessary  in  brass  manu- 
facture for  the  washing  of  brass,  is  none  too  large  for  the  future  development  of 
the  typical  industry,  and  most  important  of  all,  the  need  for  potable  water  to 
maintain  the  constantly  growing  population  in  health  and  comfort,  renders  it 
necessary  to  go  farther  afield.  The  central  portion  of  Connecticut  is  so  largely 
urban  that  towns  and  cities  are  competing  for  available  water  supplies  and 
choice  is  no  longer  free.  Pure  water  must  be  had  and  it  is  difficult  to  secure  it 
and  expensive  to  deliver  it. 

The  newest  and  most  perplexing  problem,  because  still  only  partially  settled, 
is  the  disposal  of  waste  matter,  in  which  the  rights  of  the  down-stream  commu- 
nities and  property  holders  are  involved,  and  the  question  of  sewage  disposal, 

30 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  31 

which  has  been  vexing  us  for  twenty  years,  still  lacks  its  permanent  solution. 
This  added  anxiety,  peculiar  to  an  inland  city  with  many  neighbors,  seems  an 
unjust  addition  to  the  physical  difficulties  with  which  Waterbury  has  so  bravely 
and  successfully  contended.  The  need  of  constant  planning  ahead  with  careful 
foresight  has  been  imperative  because  the  growth  of  the  city  would  not  wait  for 
time  to  solve  its  problems.  A  community  which  grows  from  28,000  people  in 
1890,  to  45,000  in  1900,  and  73,000  in  1910,  and  in  1917  knows  it  has  100,000  and 
sees  every  prospect  of  doubling  in  size  in  the  next  twenty  years,  must  needs  take 
time  by  the  forelock  and  especially  when  it  has  more  than  ordinary  natural  diffi- 
culties to  master. 

For  these  reasons  the  physical  development  of  Waterbury  has  been  largely 
an  engineering  problem  and  it  has  been  engineering  of  a  most  interesting  kind. 
It  has  been  grappled  with  boldly  and  we  have  been  fortunate  in  having  at  our 
command  men  who  with  clear  eyes  and  a  faith  in  the  city's  future  have  done 
enduring  work  wisely  and  economically  so  that  the  community  and  its  industries 
are  not  weighted  down  with  hopelessly  large  obligations  as  a  permanent  mortgage 
upon  the  future. 

THE  RECONSTRUCTION  OF  LEADING   THOROUGHFARES 

£^2_  Waterbury  is  principally  indebted  for  the  present  satisfactory  condition  of 
its  physical  equipment,  and  its  consequent  opportunities  for  further  progress,  to 
the  life  work  of  one  man,  Robert  A.  Cairns,  its  city  engineer,  and  to  the  co-opera- 
tion and  loyal  backing  which  he  has  had  from  a  long  line  of  mayors  and  boards 
of  aldermen.  It  is  due  to  the  official  co-operation  which  he  has  enjoyed  that  there 
is  no  city  department  in  which  the  evidences  of  growth  for  the^  past  quarter 
century  are  so  clear  as  in  that  of  the  city  engineer. 

During  this  period  the  changes  have  been  not  alone  in  the  mere  housing  of 
its  continually  growing  population  and  in  the  increase  of  its  business  buildings,  but 
far  more  notably  in  giving  to  Waterbury  the  physical  aspect  of  a  great  municipality. 

It  is  especially  in  the  reconstruction  of  its  leading  thoroughfares  that  history 
has  been  made  in  this  quarter  century. 

The  widening  of  Grand  Street  in  1909  and  the  widening  of  Meadow  Street 
during  the  same  year,  eliminating  South  Willow  and  Cedar  streets,  was  a  particu- 
larly important  betterment.  This  means  that  Meadow  Street  now  runs  continu- 
ously from  West  Main  to  South  Main  streets,  and  that  there  is  a  fine  approach 
to  the  City  Hall,  Library  and  Union  Station.  The  Liberty  Street  opening  shortly 
afterwards  gave  a  60-foot  street  between  Bank  and  Benedict  streets.  The  Jeffer- 
son Street  extension  to  South  Elm  Street  in  191 1  was  a  splendid  improvement  for 
that  section. 

The  opening  of  Robbins  Street  in  1907  was  another  valuable  improvement  in 
the  highway  system  of  the  city. 

In  1914  Thomaston  Avenue  was  laid  out  with  a  uniform  width  of  fifty  feet 
to  Waterville.  In  that  work  the  railroad  agreed  to  re-locate  the  track  of  the 
Naugatuck  division  and  the  city  lowered  by  six  feet  for  a  length  of  1,000  feet  a 
36-inch  water  main. 

In  1914  also  Watertown  Avenue  from  Steele's  Brook  bridge  to  the  Driving 
Park  was  built  by  the  state,  the  first  piece  of  concrete  highway  in  Waterbury. 

During  1918.  or  as  soon  as  the  courts  have  settled  on  damages,  Leavenworth 
Street  is  to  be  widened  to  fifty  feet  between  Grand  and  West  Main  streets. 

The  most  important  improvement  of  this  character  now  begun  is  that  on 
Huntington    Avenue.      A    street    fifty    feet    wide    from    Thomaston    Avenue   to 


32  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Watertown  Avenue  has  been  laid  out.  This,  when  completed,  will  eliminate  a 
detour  of  three  miles  to  a  section  that  has  been  growing  phenomenally  along 
manufacturing  and  residential  lines.  There  will  be  three  bridges  in  this  new 
street.  An  expensive  and  much-needed  grade  crossing  is  to  be  provided  for.  It 
is  also  the  purpose  of  the  city  to  locate  the  West  Main  Street  steel  bridge  over 
the  Naugatuck  River.    Steele's  Brook  bridge  will  necessarily  be  raised. 

There  are  today  approximately  twenty  miles  of  permanently  paved  streets  in 
Waterbury.  This  reckoning  includes  all  of  those  constructed  of  granite,  vitrified 
brick,  bitulithic  asphalt  and  asphalt,  but  not  macadamized  streets. 

THE    CONSTRUCTION    OF    NEW    BRIDGES 

Side  by  side  with  highway  construction  goes  the  providing  of  bridges  and 
Waterbury  is  necessarily  a  city  of  many  bridges.  '  The  winding  Naugatuck  River 
with  its  numerous  tributaries  would  set  us  apart  from  our  neighbors  if  it  were 
not  for  the  building  of  bridges,  large  and  small.  This  work  has  been  particularly 
active  during  the  last  ten  years. 

In  1905  the  city  constructed  Steele's  Brook  bridge.  This  is  a  reinforced  con- 
crete girder  bridge,  sixty  feet  wide,  with  two  20-foot  spans,  the  axis  of  the  bridge 
being  at  an  angle  of  fifty-five  degrees.  This  gave  a  60-foot  street  where  it  had 
been  only  eighteen. 

The  Grandview  Avenue  bridge  over  Robbins  Street,  built  in  1907,  is  a  rein- 
forced concrete  girder  bridge  with  a  40-foot  span.  It  carries  across  an  important 
highwav  what  will  eventually  become  a  noble  residential  boulevard. 

In  1907  the  Liberty  Street  bridge  was  built.  This  is  a  concrete  arch  bridge, 
50-foot  span,  with  a  width  of  forty  feet.  It  was  necessary  to  go  thirty-one  feet 
below  the  street  surface  to  secure  a  foundation. 

On  September  9,  1916,  the  Bank  Street  bridge  was  opened,  the  people  of 
Brooklyn  celebrating  the  event.  This,  the  finest  bridge  in  the  city  and  erected  at 
a  cost  of  $100,000,  is  a  three-span  masonry  arch  bridge,  49^  feet  between  para- 
pets. The  old  steel  bridge  over  Bank  Street  was  repaired,  painted,  fitted  out  with 
many  new  parts,  and  was  re-erected  over  the  Naugatuck  River  at  Freight  Street 
in  191 5,  giving  the  Brooklyn  district  another  much  needed  outlet. 

The  four-track  viaduct  built  by  the  N.  Y.,  N.  H.  &  H.  R.  R.  Co.  through  the 
central  part  of  the  city  with  its-  abolition  of  grade  crossings  is  a  permanent  guar- 
antee against  accidents. 

During  the  past  few  years  there  have  also  been  built  the  Hancock  Brook 
bridge  at  Waterville,  fifty  feet  wide,  with  two  spans  of  twenty-two  feet  each,  and 
a  10-foot  rustic  bridge,  fifty  feet  long,  built  over  Riverside. 

A  50-foot  girder  bridge  over  the  Mad  River  at  Hamilton  Avenue  is  now 
under  way.  Plans  are  also  complete  for  a  new  West  Main  Street  bridge,  which 
is  to  be  a  three-span  masonry  arch  bridge. 

THE  GROWTH  OF  THE  WATER  SYSTEM 

Probably  the  most  important  element  of  the  municipal  plant  is  the  water 
supply  system,  the  magnitude  of  which  is  not  generally  realized  because  while 
its  product  is  daily  before  the  public  eye,  its  parts  are  concealed  or  scattered  in 
remote  districts.  Yet  its  development  during  the  last  twenty-five  years  has  been 
so  remarkable  as  to  bespeak  public  attention. 

It  is  a  far  cry  from  the  spring  at  Willow  and  Grove  Streets  that  117  years 
ago  supplied  Wraterbury's  leading  families  with  water,  to  the  magnificent  system 


THE    WIGWAM    DAM    AND    RESERVOIR    OF   WATERBURY'S    MUNICIPAL 

WATER  SYSTEM 


THE  BROOKLYN  BRIDGE,  CARRYING  BANK  STREET  OVER  THE  NAUGATUCK  RIVER 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY       33 

which  now  fills  the  needs  of  a  city  of  100,000  population.  Up  to  the  year  1893 
the  city's  water  supply  was  drawn  from  the  reservoirs  which  collected  the  drainage 
of  about  one  square  mile  and  had  a  storage  capacity  of  180,000,000  gallons. 

Today,  after  the  extensions  and  growth  of  a  quarter  century,  the  supply  is 
as  follows : 

Gallons 

East  Mountain  Reservoirs 137,000,000 

Wigwam  Reservoirs 730,000,000 

Morris  Reservoirs 2,000,000,000 

2,867,000,000 
Prospective  Pitch  Brook  Reservoir 1,440,220,000 

Total  available  in  1919 4,307,220,000 

It  was  in  1893  tnat  City  Engineer  Robert  A.  Cairns,  far-seeing  and  almost 
prophetic  as  to  the  growth  of  Waterbury,  urged  the  adoption  of  new  plans  on  a 
far  larger  scale  than  had  ever  before  been  contemplated.  It  was  with  some  trepi- 
dation that  the  authority  was  finally  granted  and  the  work  of  giving  Waterbury 
an  adequate  water  supply  was  begun,  all  plans  and  supervision  being  in  charge 
of  Mr.  Cairns. 

The  territory  selected  for  the  first  gathering  ground, — the  Wigwam  dam 
and  reservoir, — lies  to  the  northwest  of  the  city  among  the  Litchfield  Hills,  at  a 
distance  of  about  ten  miles.  It  has  an  area  of  eighteen  square  miles,  drained  by 
the  West  Branch  of  the  Naugatuck  River. 

A  careful  investigation  showed  a  population  of  less  than  twenty-five  persons 
per  square  mile  of  watershed.  Probably  two-thirds  of  the  region  is  wooded, 
farming  being  carried  on  to  a  less  extent  than  was  the  case  fifty  years  ago.  The 
main  stream  has  an  average  inclination  of  about  sixty  feet  per  mile,  and  flows 
through  a  valley  having  a  narrow  floor  and  very  steep  side  hills.  Tributaries  to 
the  main  stream  have  such  inclinations  as  to  make  it  out  of  the  question  to  place 
storage  reservoirs  on  them.  Owing  to  these  unfavorable  conditions  it  was  found 
advisable  to  limit  the  provision  of  storage  to  such  an  amount  as  would  insure  a 
safe  uniform  yield  in  dry  seasons  of  600,000  gallons  a  day  per  square  mile  of  net 
land  surface,  or  a  total  average  daily  yield  of  10,500,000  gallons. 

Construction  was  begun  in  the  spring  of  1893.  It  included  excavation  for  and 
construction  of  that  part  of  the  masonry  dam  below  the  bed  of  the  brook,  as  well 
as  much  stripping  of  the  basin  and  grading  portions  of  the  pipe  line.  In  the  winter 
of  1893-4  contracts  were  let  for  all  work  necessary  to  complete  the  reservoir  to  a 
flow  line  of  410  feet,  city  datum,  including  dams,  road  diversion  and  stripping  of 
the  basin,  and  for  the  completion  of  a  36-inch  pipe  line  to  the  city.  During  1894 
and  1895  these  contracts  were  executed,  and  a  regular  supply  was  furnished  in 
January.  1896.  It  was  decided  to  postpone  further  work  at  the  reservoir  until 
more  storage  should  be  found  necessary,  but  the  rapid  increase  in  consumption, 
due  to  the  growth  of  the  city  and  the  very  dry  season  of  1899,  forbade  longer 
delay  and  in  the  years  1901  and  1902  the  dams  were  built  up  to  their  full  height 
as  planned.  At  the  same  time  the  additional  flowage  was  thoroughly  stripped  of 
top  soil  and  all  stumps  and  roots  taken  out. 

The  reservoir  was  first  filled  to  its  maximum  level  in  December,  1901,  the 
water  rising  rapidly  as  a  result  of  a  severe  storm.  Observations  since  that  time 
indicate  that  the  work  is  of  excellent  character,  leakage  through  the  dams  being 

Vol.  1—3 


34  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

very  small.     On  the  down-stream  face  of  the  masonry  dam,  the  sweating  is  so 
inconsiderable  that  on  a  clear,  bright  day  it  practically  all  evaporates. 

The  reservoir  has  an  area  of  105  acres,  and  a  total  capacity  of  730,000,000 
gallons. 

In  1904  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Cairns,  a  high  service  water  supply  was 
planned  and  partially  completed,  giving  the  thousands  who  lived  on  high  ground 
an  adequate  supply  of  excellent  drinking  water  for  the  first  time.  An  inlet  gate 
house  was  constructed  in  East  Mountain  Reservoir  and  connection  was  made 
by  means  of  a  pipe  line  with  the  high  ground  in  the  northeastern  and  northern 
sections  of  the  city.  In  1907  the  pipe  line  was  extended  clear  across  the  city  to 
the  Town  Plot  section, — a  difficult  piece  of  construction.  Since  then  the  Silver 
Street  pumping  station  and  that  known  as  the  Willow  Street  pumping  station  have 
been  constructed  with  a  view  to  filling  the  East  Mountain  Reservoir  from  the 
Wigwam  system  and  keeping  up  the  water  pressure.  Both  pumping  stations  can 
be  utilized  to  send  water  supply  from  the  Wigwam  reservoir  to  the  East  Mountain 
reservoir  when  necessary. 

The  water  tower  on  Hill  Street,  which  has  a  capacity  of  50,000  gallons,  was 
finished  last  year  to  supply  a  small  population  on  the  higher  levels  of  that  particu- 
lar district.  A  smaller  one  is  now  being  built  in  the  Bunker  Hill  district  to  supply 
Elmhurst. 

In  1909  when  Waterbury  was  estimated  to  have  a  population  of  75,000,  work 
was  begun  on  the  second  of  the  city's  larger  reservoir  systems. 

The  Morris  dam  is  located  on  the  same  stream  as  the  Wigwam  dam,  a  little 
more  than  a  mile  farther  up  stream.  In  distinction  from  the  latter,  however,  it 
is  an  earth  dam  with  concrete  core-wall,  a  study  of  the  conditions  and  available 
material  having  proved  an  earth  dam  to  be  most  economical.  Its  greatest  height 
above  the  surface  of  the  valley  is  about  one  hundred  feet  and  its  length  1,100 
feet,  including  the  waste  weir.  It  adds  a  storage  of  2,000,000,000  gallons  to  that 
afforded  by  the  Wigwam  reservoir. 

The  foundations  of  the  core-wall  rest  on  a  ledge  of  solid  rock  extending 
across  the  entire  width  of  the  valley.  On  the  side  slopes,  rock  is  at  a  depth  of 
but  a  few  feet  from  the  original  surface,  while  in  the  center  of  the  valley  the 
foundation  pit  had  to  be  carried  down  to  a  depth  of  forty-five  feet  by  the  use  of 
steel  sheet  piling. 

The  foundations  of  the  head-walls,  gate-house  and  spillway,  located  at  the 
west  end  of  the  dam,  also  rest  on  solid  rock.  A  reinforced  concrete  drain  tunnel, 
about  thirty-four  square  feet  in  section,  is  located  on  the  ledge  at  the  foot  of  the 
western  slope.  This  took  all  the  normal  flow  of  the  creek  during  construction. 
It  leads  into  the  down  stream  gate-house,  where  24-inch  pipe  connections  are 
made  with  a  pipe  leading  into  the  present  city  main  from  the  Wigwam  reservoir, 
and  with  a  blow-off  into  the  lower  reservoir.  These  gates,  however,  are  not 
intended  for  regular  use,  but  only  for  exceptional  occasions  when  the  water 
should  become  very  low  or  when  it  may  become  necessary  to  draw  off  the  reservoir. 

The  service  gate-house  is  on  the  western  end  of  the  dam  on  the  head-wall 
between  the  embankment  and  spillway.  It  has  six  30-inch  intakes  leading  into 
two  intake  walls.    They  are  provided  with  separately  operated  gate  valves. 

A  24-inch  pipe  line  is  constructed  around  the  Wigwam  reservoir  connecting 
directly  with  the  city  service  main  below  the  Wigwam  dam,  so  that  if  the  city 
wishes  to  discontinue  the  Wigwam  service  for  any  purpose,  such  as  cleaning  the 
reservoir  basin,  it  can  get  its  supply  direct  from  the  Morris  reservoir. 

The  third  reservoir,  known  as  the  Pitch  Brook  reservoir,  is  to  be  built  just 
above  the   Morris  dam  and   will  add    1,440,200,000  gallons  to  the  city's   supply. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK   VALLEY  35 

The  cost  of  tiiis  will  be  very  heavy,  owing  to  present  building  conditions.  The 
construction  of  this  reservoir  necessitated  the  re-location  of  two  highways,  and 

plans  and  profiles  were  made  for  this  and  the  work  has  heen  completed.  The 
Wigwam  Brook  diversion,  which  means  a  tunnel  r,6oo  feet  long  and  a  small 
diversion  dam,  part  of  the  third  reservoir  system,  are  well  under  way. 

In  a  letter  to  the  mayor,  published  August  15,  1917,  Mr.  Cairns  commented 
on  the  latest   phases  of  the  situation. 

In  his  communication,  Mr.  Cairns  said  that  considerable  progress  had  heen 
made  in  the  making  of  surveys  for  the  new  pipe  line  from  the  Wigwam  reservoir 
and  enough  of  the  work  had  heen  done  to  determine  the  availability  of  the  pro- 
posed line  by  way  of  Steele's  Brook  Valley.  He  added  that  some  question  had 
arisen  as  to  the  possibility  of  using  Steele's  Brook  Valley  route  or  parallelling  the 
present  line.  The  former  would  require  two  miles  of  tunneling.  Mr.  Cairns 
continued : 

"I  have  made  some  approximate  estimates  with  results  in  which  you  are 
interested.  It  appears  that  if  we  should  decide  to  parallel  the  present  36-inch 
main  from  the  Wigwam  reservoir  to  West  Main  Street,  with  a  36-inch  main, 
tin.'  cost  of  the  iron  pipe  f.  o.  b.  Waterbury  at  present  prices  will  be  about  $1,250,- 
000.  This  is  about  hve  times  as  much  as  we  paid  for  36-inch  pipe  in  1894.  The 
difference  in  weight  between  the  36-inch  and  the  42-inch  is  30  per  cent.  So 
far  as  1  can  jndge,  the  cost  of  such  a  pipe  line  will  be  approximately  the  same  by 
either  route  and  at  present  prices  will  be  about  $2,000,000. 

"The  extraordinary  and  unprecedented  costs  with  which  we  are  confronted 
are  calculated  to  cause  hesitation  in  committing  the  city  to  any  definite  plan  in 
regard  to  the  proposed  new  reservoir  and  also  it  is  evident  that  the  work  if 
undertaken  now  will  cost  approximately  twice  what  it  was  estimated  at  three 
years  ago.  At  that  time  I  thought  it  could  be  constructed  for  $800,000,  but  it  is 
doubtful  now  if  it  can  be  built  for  less  than  $1,500,000." 

Till-:    UN  COMPLETED    SEWAGE    DISPOSAL    PLANT 

Waterbury  had  expended  up  to  September  1,  1917,  $440,345.10  on  its  sewage 
disposal  plant.  This  is  approximately  $11,000.00  more  than  the  amount  of  the 
authorized  bond  issue.  It  includes,  moreover,  the  full  amount  of  damages 
obtained  to  date  by  the  Piatt  Brothers  Company  for  sewage  pollution  of  the 
Xaugatuck  during  the  legally  prohibited  months, — June  1st  to  December  1st. 
This  averages  $2,800.00  a  year,  and  the  last  amount  paid  the  concern  was 
SjS.ooo.oo  on  April  13,  191 5,  covering  a  damage  period  of  ten  years. 

The  sewage  disposal  plant,  on  which  work  was  stopped  in  1908,  while  giving 
satisfactory  service,  is  still  far  from  complete.  According  to  the  original  plan 
about  $300,000.00  would  have  built  the  pumping  plant  and  the  purification  tanks 
and  beds.  Today  City  Engineer  Cairns  figures  that  the  cost  would  be  two  or 
three  times  the  figures  as  estimated  in   1907  and  1908. 

The  history  of  the  city's  sewrage  disposal  plant  dates  back  officially  to  1890, 
although  its  need  had  been  apparent  many  years  prior  to  that  date. 

In  1890  Mr.  Cairns,  heeding  the  many  complaints  from  residents  along  the 
banks  of  the  Xaugatuck  River,  suggested  the  purchase  of  land  so  that  sewage 
could  be  conveyed  to  it  and  rendered  pure  for  discharge  into  the  river.  In  this 
historical  report  the  suggestion  was  first  made  for  a  survey  and  for  plans  for  a 
sewage  disposal  plant. 

It  was  in  a  way  also  the  first  expression  of  the  discontent  that  ended  in  the 
long  litigation  with  the  Piatt  Brothers  Company.     In    [892  suit  was  brought  and 


36  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

the  city  began  preparation  for  an  elaborate  defense.  This  litigation  extended 
over  a  period  of  over  ten  years.  In  1898  came  the  first  adverse  decision  in  the 
Superior  Court,  and  the  city  appealed  to  the  Supreme  Court,  which  in  1903 
awarded  nominal  damages  to  the  Piatt  Brothers  Company,  but  by  enjoining  the 
city  from  emptying  its  sewage  into  the  Naugatuck  River  from  June  1st  to 
December  1st  of  each  year,  made  the  damages  continuing.  Thus,  by  agreement, 
the  city  is  using  its  old  sewage  disposal  system,  but  is  paying  $2,800.00  damages 
yearly  for  the  privilege. 

In  1895,  however,  the  city  had  concluded  to  begin  active  work  on  a  sewage 
disposal  plant  and  engaged  one  of  the  best  specialists  available,  Rudolph  Hering, 
of  New  York,  to  study  its  problem.  In  1895  and  1896,  under  the  direction  of 
Mr.  Hering  and  Mr.  Cairns,  extensive  surveys  were  made  by  the  engineering 
department.  In  1896,  Mr.  Hering  recommended  two  methods.  One  was  to  use 
a  combined  precipitation  and  filtration  plant,  to  be  established  at  a  point  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  Naugatuck  River,  about  opposite  Piatt's  Mills.  The  other  was 
to  dispose  of  the  sewage  by  filtration,  also,  on  a  field  west  of  Beacon  Falls. 

In  discussing  these  recommendations,  Mr.  Cairns  commented  at  length  on 
the  unfortunate  location  of  Waterbury,  making  necessary  a  very  long  and  very 
expensive  outfall  sewer.  It  was  the  construction  of  this  outfall  sewer  for  ten 
miles  through  a  very  rugged  valley  that  made  the  Beacon  Falls  plan  hopeless. 
In  Mr.  Cairns'  opinion,  construction  would  prove  sufficiently  expensive  to  Piatt's 
Mills,  only  about  a  mile  and  a  half  below  the  main  outfall  at  that  time. 

In  1903  with  the  litigation  decided  against  the  city,  orders  were  issued  for  the 
construction  of  works  for  the  treatment  of  city  sewage,  the  location  to  be  at 
Piatt's  Mills.  The  city  secured  by  condemnation  the  Bancroft  and  Upson  Farms 
between  South  Leonard  Street  and  Piatt's  Mills.  There  was  little  trouble  in 
inducing  the  railroad  to  change  its  tracks  which  crossed  this  land.  Then  began 
the  survey  and  mapping  out  of  the  whole  territory  south  of  Washington  Avenue, 
preparatory  to  gathering  the  different  outfall  sewers  into  one  channel  and  to  the 
construction  of  a  main  carrier  to  the  disposal  fields. 

The  work  of  construction  was  necessarily  slow.  In  1907,  a  year  of  great 
national  depression,  the  sale  of  bonds  was  almost  impossible.  But  all  obstacles 
were  eventually  overcome.  Early  in  1908,  section  one  of  the  main  carrier  which 
had  been  under  construction  for  two  years  was  officially  put  into  use,  together 
with  section  two,  which  had  been  completed  in  1907.  These  sections  extend  from 
a  point  a  little  north  of  Washington  Bridge,  southerly  along  the  west  bank  of  the 
river,  through  Railroad  Hill  Street  to  South  Leonard  Street,  and  again  along  the 
west  bank  of  the  river  to  a  point  just  above  Nichols  Falls,  taking  all  the  sewage 
from  the  old  Benedict  Street  trunk  sewer,  the  Mad  River  interceptor,  and  the 
Brooklyn  main  sewer,  and  conveying  it  to  a  temporary  outlet  into  the  Naugatuck 
about  opposite  the  old  Smith  &  Griggs  factory,  a  distance  of  7,100  feet. 

In  his  annual  report  for  1907,  Engineer  Cairns  says:  "The  effect  on  the 
Naugatuck  River  of  keeping  out  the  city  sewage  has  been  marked.  Since  high 
water  came  and  the  old  deposits  were  flushed  out,  the  river  as  far  as  the  temporary 
outlet  presents  an  appearance  not  perceptibly  different  from  that  at  points  above 
the  city." 

Finally  in  [908  the  engineer  reported  that  the  city  now  had  a  "continuous  con- 
crete conduit  from  Washington  Avenue  to  Piatt's  Dam,  a  distance  of  over  two 
miles,  but  also  a  good  beginning  of  the  purification  works  themselves,  with  main 
carriers,  the  grit  and  screen  chambers,  and  the  controller  house  substructure.  The 
next  steps  will  be  the  provision  of  a  pumping  plant  and  the  construction  of  tanks 
and  beds." 


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WATERBURY  AND  THE   NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  37 

But  there  the  story  of  the  city's  sewage  disposal  plant  ends.  No  steps  have 
ever  been  taken  to  complete  it. 

In  the  year  1908  Engineer  Cairns  suggested  that  "it  is  possible  to  escape  vio- 
lation of  the  court  injunction  by  closing  the  temporary  outlet  through  which 
sewage  has  been  discharged  into  the  Xaugatuck  River,  conducting  the  stream 
through  section  3  and  allowing  it  to  escape  into  the  river  below  the  dam." 

But  this  suggestion,  which  required  an  appropriation  to  make  it  effective,  was 
also  ignored.  While  the  sewage  disposal  plant  is  effective  as  far  as  its  carriers 
are  concerned,  it  is  a  disposal  plant  only  in  name. 

A  QUARTER  CENTURY  OF   SEWER   CONSTRUCTION 

The  problem  of  taking  away  and  diverting  its  sewage  has  been  one  of  the 
great  problems  which  is  now  in  a  fair  way  to  completion.  Most  of  the  city  is 
sewered  and  construction  is  being  pushed  annually  into  new  outlying  districts. 
I  lere  is  the  record  of  sewer  construction  for  twenty-five  years: 

Linear  Feet  Linear  Feet 

1892 10,280  1905  8,667 

1893  5-791  T9o6  7.658 

1894 4P74  T9°7 5.266 

1895  6,456  1908 6,890 

1896 2,068  1909 3,365 

1897 3.7°3  x9io 10,213 

1898 10,389  191 1  7.083 

1900 7,052  1912  14,205 

1901  9.l69  l9l3>  IM53 

1902  4,412  1914 6,036 

1903 3.455  r9*5  7,2i6 

1904 7,822  1916 6,680 

This,  on  January  1,  191 7,  represented  a  total  of  58.553  miles  of  trunk  and 
lateral  sewers.  The  history  of  the  sewage  disposal  plant  which  provided  for  a 
main  carrier  to  Washington  Avenue  will  be  found  narrated  elsewhere  in  this 
chapter.  The  cost  of  that  was  $440,000.00.  The  city  has  authorized  another 
bond  issue  for  the  extension  of  the  present  main  carrier  from  Washington 
Avenue  to  Waterville.  This  will  take  the  sewage  out  of  the  Naugatuck  River 
from  Waterville  to  Piatt's  Mills  and  give  the  northwestern  portion  of  the  city 
effective  sanitation. 

THE    NAUGATUCK    RIVER    CONSERVATION    PLANS 

For  some  years  the  manufacturing  interests  of  the  Xaugatuck  Valley  have 
felt  the  need  of  materially  increasing  the  summer  stream  flow  of  the  Naugatuck 
River.  This  need  took  its  first  practical  shape  fifteen  years  ago,  when  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  was  petitioned  by  Charles  F.  Brooker,  the  late  John  H.  Whittemore 
of  Naugatuck,  the  late  Alton  Farrell  of  Ansonia,  and  others,  for  the  right  to 
generate  power  along  the  Naugatuck  Valley.  This,  of  course,  was  a  purely 
private  project,  but  it  served  to  call  attention  to  the  possibilities  of  conservation 
throughout  the  valley. 

The  next  step  in  this  great  project  was  a  preliminary  investigation  covering 
the  feasibility  of  a  large  water  conservation  plan  in  the  valley. 

At  the  request  of  the  Naugatuck  Valley  manufacturing  interests,   this   was 


38       WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

undertaken  by  Charles  H.  Preston,  consulting  engineer.  For  four  years  he  made 
his  investigations  concerning  possible  locations  of  dams,  approximate  quantities 
of  water  available  for  storage,  and  the  extent  to  which  the  Naugatuck  River 
would  be  improved  by  such  development.  The  men  back  of  the  project  acted 
with  extreme  care  and  wisdom  in  the  matter,  preferring  to  make  no  move  until 
Mr.  Preston  had  made  the  most  elaborate  and  thorough  tests  possible. 

The  four  years'  investigation  took  the  shape  of  a  great  mass  of  figures  and 
engineering  data.  The  recommendations  made  by  Mr.  Preston  were  entirely 
favorable  to  the  project.  He  advised  the  construction  of  a  series  of  impounding 
reservoirs  on  three  of  the  large  tributary  streams  of  the  Naugatuck  River. 

The  first  official  meeting  was  held  in  Waterbury  on  April  13,  1914.  At  this 
gathering,  the  following  corporations  interested  were  represented : 

Charles  F.  Brooker,  president,  the  American  Brass  Co.,  Waterbury;  Lewis 
A.  Piatt,  president,  Piatt  Bros.  &  Co.,  Waterbury;  W.  H.  Wooster,  secretary,  the 
Seymour  Mfg.  Co.,  Seymour;  John  A.  Coe,  Jr.,  vice  president,  The  American 
Brass  Co.,  Waterbury  ;  Charles  Miller,  president,  The  Randolph  &  Clowes  Co., 
Waterbury ;  John  P.  Elton,  treasurer,  The  American  Brass  Co.,  Waterbury ; 
Thomas  D.  Bradstreet.  general  manager,  Seth  Thomas  Clock  Co.,  Thomaston  ; 
George  A.  Driggs,  president,  The  American  Pin  Co.,  Waterville ;  Edward  L. 
Frisbie,  vice  president,  The  American  Brass  Co..  Waterbury ;  William  E.  Fulton, 
president,  Waterbury  Parrel  Foundry  &  Machine  Co.,  Waterbury. 

There  was  a  general  discussion  on  conserving  water  in  the  upper  Naugatuck 
Valley,  in  which  possible  developments  on  four  different  streams  were  con- 
sidered, these  streams  having  ample  watersheds  and  resultant  volume  with  the 
following  names  and  locations : 

Hall  Meadow  Brook  and  Hart  Brook,  with  sources  in  the  southeasterly  part 
of  the  Town  of  Norfolk,  Litchfield  County,  running  southerly  through  the  Town 
of  Goshen,  into  the  Town  of  Torrington,  and  entering  the  Naugatuck  River  near 
Brandy  PI  ill,  so-called. 

The  East  Branch  of  the  Naugatuck  River,  with  source  in  the  southwesterly 
part  of  the  Town  of  Colebrook,  Litchfield  County,  running  southerly  through  the 
Town  of  Winchester,  entering  the  Naugatuck  River  at  Torrington. 

Lead  Mine  Brook,  with  source  in  the  southeasterly  part  of  the  Town  of  Tor- 
rington, Litchfield  County,  passing  through  the  Towns  of  Harwinton  and  Plym- 
outh, entering  the  Naugatuck  River  at  ''Two  Mile  Bridge,"  so-called,  in  the  Town 
of  Thomaston. 

Of  the  four  brooks  considered.  Lead  Mine  Brook  appeared  the  most  favorable 
for  developing  into  impounding  or  compensating  reservoirs  by  reason  of  its  many 
natural  features,  such  as  large  holding  basins,  highway  locations,  real  estate 
values,  its  twenty-four  square  miles  of  watershed,  constant  stream  flow  and  solid 
ledge  rock  across  the  entire  valley,  assuring  excellent  conditions  for  foundations 
of  masonry  dams. 

At  the  meeting,  the  following  committee  was  appointed  "to  investigate  the 
feasibility  of  the  scheme  of  developing  impounding  or  compensating  reservoirs 
on  Lead  Mine  Brook,  Harwinton:  Lewis  A.  Piatt,  chairman,  president  Piatt 
Bros.  (S:  Co..  Waterbury  ;  W.  H.  Wooster,  secretary  Seymour  Mfg.  Co..  Seymour; 
(  has.  H.  Preston,  Jr.,  civil  engineer,  Waterbury. 

Several  meetings  followed,  at  which  committee's  and  secretary's  reports  were 
made  and  finally  the  actual  survey  was  begun  September  t.  T914.  This  has  been 
throughout  in  charge  of  Mr.  Preston  and  has  been  in  progress  for  three  years. 

In  this  period  the  most  careful  rainfall  and  stream  flow  records  have  been 
taken  and  tables  of  averages  have  been  computed.     This  work  is  to  be  continued 


WATERBURV  AND  THE  XAIGATUCK  VALLEY       39 

for  another  two-year  period,  as  it  is  considered  essential  that  rive  years  of  records 
be  obtained  as  the  basis  for  the  design  of  the  contemplated  work. 

The  engineers  are  fairly  well  agreed  on  the  site  of  the  proposed  dams  in  the 
light  of  the  data  now  available. 

The  location  of  Xo.  1  dam  would  be  approximately  at  the  lower  end  of  the 
valley,  opposite,  in  an  easterly  direction,  from  "Two  Mile  Bridge,"  on  land  of 
the  Plume  and  Atwood  Mfg.  Co. 

The  location  of  Xo.  2  dam  would  be  across  the  properties  of  T.  E.  Negus, 
The  Plume  and  Atwood  Mfg.  Co.,  and  the  McBeth  property,  about  two  miles 
north  of  Xo.  i  dam. 

The  location  of  Xo.  3  dam  would  be  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  south 
of  llarwinton  Center  on  land  of  William  McConway  and  others. 

The  average  annual  precipitation  for  twenty-eight  years,  1887  to  1915.  in- 
clusive, recorded  by  the  late  X.  J.  Welton,  taken  at  Waterbury.  has  been  48.64 
inches. 

Some  other  precipitation  records  which  are  most  interesting  to  this  Xaugatuck 
Valley  project  are  those  taken  at  Orford,  X.  H.,  on  the  Connecticut  River, 
Gaylordsville,  Conn.,  on  the  Housatonic  River,  Framingham,  Mass.,  on  the  Sud- 
bury River,  and  Lake  Cochituate,  at  Cochituate,  Mass. 

The  straight  line  distance  from  these  different  points  where  records  have  been 
taken  to  proposed  Reservoir  Xo.  2,  Lead  Mine  Brook,  are  Orford,  N.  H.,  175 
miles :  Gaylordsville,  Conn.,  25  miles  :  Framingham,  Mass..  100  miles,  and  Cochitu- 
ate. Mass..  no  miles.  Xo  records  are  quoted  for  a  shorter  period  than  five  years. 
At  Orford.  X.  H.,  in  a  period  of  five  years,  1901  to  1905,  inclusive,  the  pre- 
cipitation averaged  36.76  inches,  with  a  run-off  amounting  to  59  per  cent  of  such 
precipitation. 

At  Gaylordsville,  Conn.,  in  a  period  of  five  years,  1901  to  1905,  inclusive,  the 
precipitation  averaged  47.86  inches,  with  a  run-off  amounting  to  62  per  cent  of 
such  precipitation. 

At  Framingham.  Mass.,  in  a  period  of  thirty-six  years,  1875  to  I9II<  tne  Pre" 
cipitation  averaged  45.13  inches,  with  a  run-off  amounting  to  47.2  per  cent  of 
such  precipitation. 

At  Cochituate,  Mass.,  in  a  period  of  forty-six  years,  1865  to  191 1,  inclusive, 
the  precipitation  averaged  45.83  inches,  with  a  run-off  amounting  to  42.6  per  cent 
of  such  precipitation. 

The  average  precipitation  and  percentage  of  same  in  run-off  of  the  four  above 
described  points  is  as  follows : 
Precipitation,  43.89  inches. 
Percentage  of  precipitation  in  run-off,  52.7. 

The  only  actual  construction  work  done  on  the  project  so  far  has  been  a 
series  of  core  borings  taken  on  the  center  line  of  proposed  Dam  Xo.  2.  These 
show  a  favorable  formation  of  rock  and  were  entirely  satisfactory  from  an  engi- 
neering point  of  view. 

The  engineers  expect  that  work  on  Dam  No.  2  will  begin  at  the  end  of  the 
live-year  period  of  taking  precipitation  and  stream  flow  records.  This,  of  course. 
depends  largely  on  the  amount  of  water  it  will  be  found  is  available. 

The  project,  when  completed,  will  cost  several  million  dollars,  but  it  will  have 
an  enormous  influence  on  the  industrial  development  of  the  valley,  giving  con- 
tinuous and  greatly  increased  water  power,  and  incidentally  flushing  the  Xauga- 
tuck River  to  a  sanitary  condition  throughout  the  year. 

By  the  development  of  Dam  Xo.  2.  with  its  drainage  area  of  14.060  acres,  or 


40  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

twenty-two  square  miles,  it  will  be  possible,  with  a  spillway  at  elevation  610,  to 
impound  3,413,917,000  gallons. 

This  huge  reservoir  would  cover  316  acres,  contain  10,477  acre  ieet>  would 
cost  with  a  cyclopean  masonry  dam  $914,600,  on  the  basis  of  $87.29  per  acre  foot. 

The  length  of  the  dam  across  its  crest  from  east  to  west  side  of  valley  would 
be  1,300  feet,  with  a  maximum  height  of  142  feet  above  bed  of  stream. 

This  will  set  back  a  pond  of  nearly  2.y2  miles  in  length,  from  500  to  1,800  feet 
in  width  and  varying  in  depth  from  35  to  142  feet. 

While  this  may  appear  rather  a  bold  undertaking  in  the  matter  of  dam  con- 
struction, there  is  apparently  no  feature  against  such  a  structure,  it  has  numerous 
natural  facilities  to  favor  its  development,  such  as  ledge  foundation  across  the 
entire  valley,  plenty  of  good  quality  stone  for  use  in  the  cyclopean  construction, 
sufficient  water  to  fill  four  times  during  each  year,  and  a  small  amount  of  new 
highway  construction. 

THE    WATEREURY-DERBY    BARGE    CANAL    PROJECT 

The  appropriation  by  Congress  of  $25,000  for  surveys  and  investigations  into 
the  cost  of  a  proposed  barge  canal  from  Waterbury  to  tidewater  at  Derby  is  the 
first  step  toward  Federal  aid  in  a  great  project  for  the  further  industrial  develop- 
ment of  this  city. 

The  agitation  for  this  canal  has  been  quietly  growing  for  years,  but  its  recog- 
nition by  Congress,  as  worthy  of  preliminary  survey  work  marks  the  first  great 
step  toward  realization.  In  1894,  the  men  behind  the  project  were  satisfied 
with  a  proposed  fifty-foot  canal.  Today  the  Government  is  considering  a  seventy- 
foot  canal. 

Engineers  have  in  a  general  way  estimated  its  cost  at  from  $25,000,000  to 
$30,000,000. 

As  outlined  by  Engineer  Charles  H.  Preston,  the  several  heights  above  tide- 
water at  Derby  Junction  and  the  different  towns  and  cities  along  the  route  to 
Waterbury  are  approximately  as  follows : 

Ansonia  is  twenty-five  feet  above  tidewater.  Seymour  is  ninety  feet  above 
tidewater.  Beacon  Falls  is  120  feet  above  tidewater.  High  Rock  Grove  is  140 
feet  above  tidewater.  Naugatuck  is  180  feet  above  tidewater.  Union  City  is  200 
feet  above  tidewater.  Flats,  rear  of  Waterbury  freight  yard,  262  feet  above  tide- 
water. Brown's  Meadows,  Waterbury,  are  271  feet  above  tidewater.  Ansonia  is 
twenty-five  feet  higher  than  Derby  Junction,  Seymour  is  sixty-five  feet  higher 
than  Ansonia,  Beacon  Falls  is  thirty  feet  higher  than  Seymour,  Naugatuck  is 
sixty  feet  higher  than  Beacon  Falls,  Union  City  is  twenty  feet  higher  than  Nauga- 
tuck, and  Waterbury  is  sixty-two  feet  higher  than  Union  City. 

The  distances  along  the  proposed  line  of  barge  canal  between  Derby  Junction 
and  Waterbury  are  as  follows :  Derby  Junction  to  Waterbury  is  18.50  miles, 
Derby  Junction  to  Ansonia  is  2.13  miles,  Ansonia  to  Seymour,  3.84  miles;  Sey- 
mour to  Beacon  Falls,  8.48  miles  ;  Beacon  Falls  to  Naugatuck,  4  miles  ;  Naugatuck 
to  Union  City,  .072  mile ;  Union  City  to  Waterbury,  4.33  miles.  Other  distances 
would  be  as  follows  :  Derby  Junction  to  Seymour,  5.97  miles ;  Derby  Junction  to 
Beacon  Falls,  9.45  miles;  Derby  Junction  to  Naugatuck,  13.45  miles;  Derby 
Junction  to  Union  City,  14.17  miles.  Distances  toward  the  south  would  be: 
Waterbury  to  Union  City,  4.33  miles;  Waterbury  to  Naugatuck,  5.05  miles; 
Waterbury  to  Beacon  Falls,  9.05  miles ;  Waterbury  to  Seymour,  12.53  rniles ; 
Waterbury  to  Ansonia,  16.37  miles;  Waterbury  to  Derby  Junction,  18.50  miles. 

By  the  installation  of   eleven   locks,  varying  in  height    from   twenty-one  to 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  41 

thirty  feet,  which  are  considered  feasible  in  canal  construction  and  operation  at 
present,  barges  containing  freight  could  be  delivered  through  to  Waterbury  from 
tidewater  or  to  any  other  town  along  the  line  of  canal. 

Mr.  Preston  ably  summarizes  the  advantages  to  be  obtained  from  the  con- 
struction of  a  canal,  and  the  following  is  a  quotation  from  one  of  his  articles  on 
i he  subject : 

"That  a  barge  canal  between  Waterbury  and  tidewater  would  be  a  decided 
asset  to  the  state  can  be  appreciated,  when  it  is  shown  that  about  three-quarers  of 
the  entire  area  of  the  state  is  within  twenty-five  miles  of  some  part  of  the  canal 
and  may,  therefore,  be  reached  by  motor  truck  over  trunk  line  highways,  con- 
structed and  maintained  on  a  par  with  any  in  New  England.  The  areas  covered 
by  New  Haven,  Hartford,  Bridgeport,  Waterbury  and  intermediate  sections,  the 
four  largest  cities  of  Connecticut,  and  representing  about  70  per  cent  of  state 
industries,  75  per  cent  of  state  population,  are  within  thirty  miles  of  our  proposed 
project. 

"Many  admirable  factory  sites  would  be  created  by  the  construction  of  a  canal 
and  hundreds  of  acres  of  land  now  lying  dormant  would  be  open  for  full  develop- 
ment. 

"Critics  of  our  proposed  canal  project  have  brought  forth  the  claim  that  to 
operate  a  canal  of  18.5  miles  length,  with  a  difference  in  elevation  of  262  feet  or 
14.16  feet  to  the  mile,  is  not  practical.  In  rebuttal  of  this  statement,  I  will  say 
that  in  the  New  York  State  barge  canal,  a  model  of  the  very  latest  design  in  canal 
construction,  with  a  developing  cost  upwards  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  million 
dollars,  is  operating  between  Waterford  and  Crescent  what  is  termed  "The 
Waterford  Flight,"  an  assembled  group  of  three  locks,  all  within  a  mile's  dis- 
tance, with  a  total  lift  of  103.5  Ieet- 

"This  is  as  much  grade  in  a  mile  as  our  proposed  project  would  average  in 
seven  miles. 

"I  claim  the  proposed  barge  canal  between  Waterbury  and  tidewater  at 
Derby  worthy  a  thorough  investigation,  from  the  following  points  of  view : 

"1.  Industrial  conditions  in  our  Naugatuck  Valley  demand  this  canal  in  addi- 
tion to  the  New  Haven  Railroad. 

"2.  With  a  possibility  of  the  sewage  problem  of  the  valley  being  solved, 
from  this  viewpoint  alone,  I  claim  the  project  worthy  an  investigation. 

"3.  With  operating  expenses  about  one-seventh  the  amount  of  those  of  steam 
railroads,  it  is  conclusive  that  this  barge  canal  would  be  the  popular  carrier. 

"4.  Prosperity's  growth  has  been  such  that  the  railroads  have  been  unable  to 
keep  astride  and  transportation  facilities  at  present  are  100  per  cent  deficient. 

"5.  Naugatuck  River  has  a  drainage  area  of  326  square  miles  and  the  annual 
precipitation  for  a  long  term  of  years  is  48.8  inches,  which  virtually  means  there 
are  annually  passing  down  through  our  valley  107,000,000,000  gallons  at  Water- 
bury, 129,000,000,000  gallons  at  Naugatuck,  157,000,000,000  gallons  at  Seymour, 
164,000,000,000  gallons  at  Ansonia,  and  166,000,000,000  gallons  at  Derby,  an 
overabundant  amount,  in  my  opinion,  if  properly  conserved,  to  place  the  practi- 
cability of  our  proposed  barge  canal  beyond  the  question  of  doubt. 

"6.  Waterbury  has  grown  nearly  double  during  the  past  decade,  will  continue 
to  do  so  in  the  future,  and  in  order  to  cope  with  transportation  facilities  we  must 
provide  an  outlet  by  water  such  as  are  now  had  by  New  Haven.  Hartford  and 
Bridgeport." 


CHAPTER    IV 
PUBLIC   BUILDINGS 

OLD  CITY  HALL  AND  ITS  AUDITORIUM MAYOR  ELTON  REMODELS  BUILDING ITS  DE- 
STRUCTION BY  FIRE NEW  BUILDING  PROJECTED BONDS  VOTED  AND  COMPETI- 
TION ENDS  IN  SELECTION  OF  CASS  GILBERT  AS  ARCHITECT DESCRIPTION COST 

THE  DEDICATION  EXERCISES  IN  "OLD  HOME"  WEEK SALE  OF  THE  OLD  CITY  HALL 

PROPERTY THE  WATERBURY  COURTHOUSE DESCRIPTION THE  AGITATION  FOR  A 

FEDERAL    BUILDING HOW     ITS    SITE    WAS    SELECTED CONSTRUCTION DESCRIP- 
TION. 

For  fourteen  years  after  its  incorporation  as  a  city,  Waterbury's  municipal 
meetings  were  held  in  Gothic  Hall,  on  what  is  now  Phoenix  Avenue.  The  town 
and  the  city  voted  in  1867  to  issue  bonds  for  erecting  a  city  hall  on  West  Main 
Street,  and  this  building  served  for  thirty-five  years  when  it  was  destroyed  by  an 
incendiary  fire. 

When  it  was  planned,  the  city  lacked  not  only  proper  accommodations  for  city 
offices  and  courts,  but  with  the  increasing  population  there  was  no  hall  large 
enough  for  the  public  gatherings  and  entertainments.  Consequently  the  second 
floor  was  made  a  large  auditorium  with  stage,  in  which  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin" 
alternated  dates  with  "Hamlet."  Political  rallies,  caucuses  and  fairs  were  held 
there  in  season,  the  chairs  were  cleared  away  for  dances,  and  its  use  as  a  public 
hall  even  lasted  long  enough  for  moving  pictures  to  be  shown  there.  This  was  not 
primarily  an  amusement  enterprise.  Admission  was  by  invitation  for  the  purpose 
of  demonstrating  to  possible  purchasers  of  stock  a  device  by  which  the  moving 
picture  machine  and  the  phonograph  could  be  synchronized.  Those  who  attended 
heard  grand  opera  stars  sing  the  sextette  from  Lucia  while  they  witnessed  the 
actions  of  the  singers  as  shown  in  moving  pictures,  while  Harry  Lauder  marched 
grandly  across  the  screen  in  exact  time  to  the  accompaniment  of  one  of  his  songs 
reproduced  on  the  phonograph.  It  was  apparently  convincing,  and  on  the  strength 
of  it,  some  of  the  stock  was  sold  here,  but  the  enterprise  never  succeeded  com- 
mercially. This  was  one  of  the  last  occasions  on  which  the  hall  was  used  for 
entertainment  purposes  and  was  in  the  autumn  of  1910. 

The  opening  of  theaters  and  newer  halls  easier  of  access  had  led  to  a  falling  off 
of  the  demand  for  the  use  of  the  City  Hall  Auditorium.  As  early  as  1904  the 
receipts  from  rentals  had  fallen  so  low  that  the  auditorium  was  regarded  by  those 
in  charge  of  it  as  waste  space.  In  addition  the  city  departments  on  the  main  floor 
were  badly  cramped  for  room.  The  aldermen  met  in  a  chamber  which  had  room 
for  desks  for  members  of  the  board  and  for  a  dozen  spectators  to  sit  or  a  score 
to  stand.  The  town  clerk's  records  were  kept  in  a  vault  barely  large  enough  for 
storing  the  books  and  with  no  accommodations  for  searchers. 

Mayor  Elton  secured  from  the  General  Assembly  in  1905  authority  to  issue 
bonds  for  $75,000  to  enlarge  and  remodel  the  city  hall,  but  it  was  found  that  the 
building  which  was  planned  could  not  be  secured  within  the  appropriation  and  the 
project  was  dropped.  Some  interior  changes  were  made  in  the  police  station  and 
the  city  hall.     Towards  the  end  of  Mayor  Hotchkiss'  administration  the  project 

42 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY       4:j 

was  agitated  again.  After  some  evidence  of  division  of  opinion  among  the  public, 
it  was  decided  to  spend  $40,000  in  making  changes.  The  auditorium  was  converted 
into  an  aldermanic  chamber  and  police  drill  hall,  larger  quarters  were  provided 
for  the  city  clerk  and  city  comptroller,  expensive  modern  vaults  and  tiling  devices 
were  installed  for  the  town  clerk's  records  and  a  portion  of  the  basement  was  set 
apart  for  a  public  comfort  station.  Contracts  were  let  late  in  191  1  and  the  com- 
pletion of  the  work  lapped  over  into  .Mayor  Reeves'  administration. 

The  remodeling  was  just  about  completed,  although  some  portions  of  it  had 
not  yet  been  utilized,  when  a  tire,  originating  among  some  paint  pots  and  builders' 
rubbish,  not  vet  removed  from  the  cellar,  destroyed  the  building  on  the  night 
of  April  _'_'.   M)i_'. 

That  was  a  wild  night  for  Waterbury.  Half  a  dozen  small  tires  broke  out  and 
there  were  thirteen  alarms  in  all,  the  horses  that  drew  the  apparatus  were  exhausted 
with  the  task  of  dashing  from  one  part  of  the  city  to  the  other,  and  the  militia  was 
called  out  to  help  the  police  watch  the  business  district.  Investigation  next  day 
showed  that  a  number  of  fires  had  been  started  by  an  incendiary.  Mayor  Reeves 
called  a  special  meeting  of  the  aldermen  next  morning  to  pass  resolutions  offering 
a  reward  for  the  arrest  and  conviction  of  the  firebug,  providing  for  new  automobile 
fire  apparatus  and  the  appointment  of  a  commission  to  build  a  new  City  Hall. 

Eventuallv,  the  origin  of  the  fire  was  traced.  Bernard  C.  Murray,  son  of  a 
former  fire  official  of  Hartford,  was  arrested  in  Massachusetts  for  a  trivial  larceny 
in  connection  with  a  mysterious  fire.  Suspicion  had  been  aroused  in  several  quar- 
ters by  his  movements.  He  was  charged  with  starting  the  fires  which  burned  the 
Wilson  House  in  Xorth  Adams  and  a  sanitarium  and  several  other  buildings  in 
Berkshire  County,  Massachusetts.  He  finally  confessed  having  started  the  fires  in 
Waterburv,  giving  an  account  of  his  movements  here,  after  being  positively  identi- 
fied by  Mrs.  Minnie  R.  Russell,  who  had  met  him  face  to  face  in  a  hallway  in  the 
Chelsea  rooming  house  on  West  Main  Street,  near  the  city  hall,  just  after  he  had 
started  a  blaze  in  a  closet.  She  claimed  the  promised  reward  but  the  aldermen 
decided  not  to  pay  it  on  the  ground  that  Murray  had  not  been  arrested  and  con- 
victed of  the  crime.  This,  however,  was  because  the  Massachusetts  authorities  had 
equally  good  evidence  against  him,  but  declaring  him  insane,  had  committed  him 
to  an  asylum,  from  which  he  was  released  rather  mysteriously  within  a  year,  as 
cured.  The  Waterbury  American,  indignant  at  the  refusal  to  pay  the  city's  reward 
to  Mrs.  Russell,  raised  a  fund  of  several  hundred  dollars  by  public  subscription 
and  paid  it  over  to  her.  Mrs.  Russell's  husband  is  in  the  employ  of  Price  &  Lee 
of  New  Haven,  publishers  of  the  Waterbury  City  Directory. 

The  city  hall  fire  left  untouched  the  three  adjoining  buildings,  the  old  police 
-tation,  the  three-story  brick  building  at  Leavenworth  Street  and  Harrison  Avenue, 
used  as  a  fire  headquarters  and  first  occupied  on  December  24,  1807,  and  the  City 
Hall  Annex,  having  the  old  Bronson  Library  Building  as  its  nucleus  and  accommo- 
dating numerous  city  offices.  The  city  hall  proper,  however,  was  non-tenable, 
excepting  that  the  town  clerk's  office  in  the  northeast  corner  was  only  slightly 
damaged.  Town  Clerk  Robert  Palmer,  refusing  to  be  separated  from  his  newly 
acquired  vaults,  hired  carpenters,  made  repairs  and  retained  the  use  of  the  office 
until  transferred  to  the  present  quarters  in  the  city  hall.  The  offices  of  the  mayor, 
city  clerk  and  city  comptroller  were  removed  to  quarters  in  the  Lillev  Building 
on  West  Main  Street,  where  most  of  the  city's  meetings  were  held.  \  store  on 
Center  Street  was  rented  for  the  use  of  the  city  court. 


44       WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

ERECTION    OF  THE   NEW    CITY    HALL 

The  destruction  of  the  old  city  hall  necessitated  immediate  action  for  the 
proper  housing  of  the  city  departments  and  for  the  safety  of  future  public  records. 
Judge  Francis  T.  Reeves,  who  was  mayor  at  the  time,  appointed  a  committee  of 
ten  to  handle  the  situation. 

This  committee  effected  little.  The  sentiment  was  divided  between  rebuilding 
on  the  old  site  and  selecting  a  new  site  for  a  new  city  hall.  Several  were  sug- 
gested— the  Green,  the  Merriman  property,  which  was  then  found  to  be  not  for 
sale,  and  the  present  site  among  the  others.  The  old  site  had  its  champions,  and 
those  favoring  a  new  site  were  divided  between  several  locations.  For  some  time 
the  local  papers  were  flooded  with  communications  from  interested  citizens  in 
which  the  question  was  discussed  at  length.  The  aldermen  refused  to  come  to  a 
decision  and  ordered  a  referendum  election,  but  this  was  inconclusive.  Another 
referendum  found  a  bare  majority  voting  in  favor  of  the  present  site.  Meanwhile, 
the  board  of  aldermen  sanctioned  the  appointment  of  a  city  hall  commission, 
which  body  was  to  transact  all  business  in  connection  with  the  construction  of  the 
new  municipal  building.  The  original  membership  of  the  commission  was  as 
follows:  Mayor  Francis  T.  Reeves,  chairman;  Patrick  F.  Bannon,  George  A. 
Driggs,  John  P.  Elton,  Daniel  T.  Farrington,  alderman ;  John  F.  Garron,  Edward 
O.  Goss,  Raymond  G.  Hutchinson,  alderman ;  John  Hurley,  alderman ;  Fred  A. 
Jackie,  alderman ;  William  J.  Walsh,  alderman. 

The  resignation  of  Mr.  Hutchinson  in  March,  1914,  left  a  vacancy  to  which 
Charles  A.  Colley,  president  of  the  chamber  of  commerce,  was  subsequently 
appointed,  and  when  death  claimed  John  F.  Garron,  Alderman  Mortimer  Doran 
was  chosen  to  fill  the  vacancy.  The  first  meeting  of  the  commission  was  held 
August  1,  1912.  In  January,  1914,  Mayor  Martin  Scully  succeeded  Francis  T. 
Reeves  as  city  executive,  and  automatically  became  head  of  the  commission. 

One  of  the  first  acts  of  the  commission,  following  negotiations  for  the  transfer 
of  title  to  the  city  government  of  the  property  on  which  the  present  building 
stands,  was  to  hold  a  competition  conducted  by  Prof.  Warren  Powers  Laird,  of 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  to  select  an  architect  to  design  and  supervise  the 
construction  of  the  new  city  hall.  The  plans  of  Cass  Gilbert,  of  New  York,  were 
selected.  On  July  8,  1914,  the  Geo.  A.  Fuller  Construction  Company  of  New 
York  signed  the  contract  to  construct  the  building,  and  in  the  early  part  of  August, 
1914,  ground  was  broken.  The  appointment  of  two  supervisors,  Charles  M.  Gasson 
for  the  construction  company,  and  Frederick  C.  Peckwell,  for  the  city's  interests, 
occurred  shortly  after. 

The  building  was  officially  opened  during  "Old  Home  Week,"  November  25, 
26  and  27,  1915,  although  many  of  the  departments  did  not  occupy  it  until 
January,  19 16. 

The  city  hall  is  situated  on  Grand  Street,  adjoining  Library  Park,  and  com- 
manding an  approach  to  the  center  of  the  city  through  Leavenworth  Street. 

The  entourage  which  fronts  the  length  of  the  building  on  Grand  Street  is  its 
show  feature.  Standing  within  a  low  rounded  marble  coping,  which  surrounds  it 
on  all  sides  and  separates  it  from  the  broad  encircling  sidewalk,  it  is  laid  out  in  a 
formal  Colonial  style  which  harmonizes  with  the  delicate  red  and  white  ornamenta- 
tion of  the  fagade.  At  the  edge  of  the  sidewalk  at  regular  intervals  are  placed  five 
decorative,  18-foot,  bronze  lamp  standards.  The  approach  to  the  entourage  is  by 
white  marble  steps,  flanked  on  either  side  by  smaller  auxiliary  stairways,  also  of 
white  marble,  which  lead  to  the  main  section,  containing  the  decorative  features. 

The  fountain  is  centered  in  a  small  court,  the  pavement  of  which  is  of  red  brick 


THE  XEW  CITY  HALL.  WATERBURY 


WATERBURY   AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  45 

inset  with  white  marble  bands  enclosing  a  large  circular  slab.  At  the  main  entrance 
are  two  decorative  vases  or  urns  of  white  marble,  several  feet  in  height,  from  the 
base  of  each  of  which,  through  the  mouth  of  a  carved  satyr,  jets  a  stream  of  water 
flanking  the  central   fountain. 

The  building,  which  is  of  Colonial  design,  is  built  around  a  rectangular  court, 
laid  out  as  a  sunken  Italian  garden.  It  is  not  only  the  office  building  of  the  city 
and  town  officers,  and  the  home  of  the  probate  and  city  courts,  but  also  the  head- 
quarters of  the  lire  department  and  the  police  department.  The  east  wing  is 
devoted  to  the  tire  department  and  the  west  wing  is  devoted  to  the  police  depart- 
ment. The  main  portion  is  three  stories  high,  with  a  roof  and  a  cupola  tower,  with 
a  4-dia]  clock,  gilded  dome  and  weather  vane.  The  other  three  sections  are  but 
two  stories  high. 

Its  exterior  is  of  Vermont  marble  and  North  Haven  brick,  marble  blocks  com- 
prising most  of  the  walls  of  the  first  story  and  marble  pillars  running  to  the  roof 
between  the  windows  of  the  main  portion  of  the  building.  At  the  east  and  west 
ends,  on  marble  slabs  set  into  the  walls,  are  appropriate  inscriptions  and  on  ten 
circular  marble  slabs  set  into  the  walls  of  the  third  story  are  ten  different  designs, 
in  bas  relief,  significant  of  the  city's  industries  and  character.  A  marble  fence 
surrounds  the  roof  of  the  main  building. 

The  collector,  assessors,  probate  court,  board  of  charities,  town  clerk,  and  city 
clerk,  have  offices  and  vaults  on  the  main  floor.  The  basement  provides  janitors' 
rooms  and  storage  rooms,  heating  plant,  a  store  for  the  board  of  charities,  labora- 
tory and  nurses'  rooms  for  the  board  of  health,  testing  rooms  and  storage  rooms 
for  the  engineering  department,  and  rooms  for  the  sealer  of  weights  and  measures. 
(  >n  the  second  floor  are  the  offices  of  the  mayor,  the  personal  tax  collector,  the 
board  of  public  works,  city  court  judge,  a  jury  room,  lawyers'  room,  juvenile  court 
room,  city  court  clerk's  and  prosecuting  attorney's  offices.  At  the  Field  Street  end 
of  the  building,  on  the  second  floor,  is  the  aldermanic  chamber,  which  occupies 
both  the  second  and  third  floors,  and  at  the  west  end  of  the  building  is  the  city 
court  room,  also  extending  through  to  the  third  floor. 

On  the  top  floor  are  the  drafting  rooms  and  offices  of  the  city  engineer's  depart- 
ment, probation  officer's  room  and  offices  for  the  corporation  counsel,  health  officer 
and  inspectors  and  board  of  health,  registrars  of  voters,  city  sheriff,  park  superin- 
tendent, building  inspector,  and  telephone  exchange. 

In  this  portion  of  the  building,  the  corridors  are  built  with  marble  floors  and 
the  trimming  is  white  wood,  enameled  to  an  ivory  finish.  Throughout  the  rest  of 
the  building,  the  floors  are  terrazzo  and  the  woodwork  oak. 

On  the  Field  Street  side  is  the  fire  headquarters  with  the  apparatus  room, 
repair  shop,  firemen's  waiting  room  and  toilet  rooms  on  the  main  floor.  On  the 
second  floor  are  the  offices  of  the  board  of  public  safety  with  offices  and  rooms  also 
for  the  officers  of  the  fire  department  and  bed  rooms  for  twenty-one  firemen. 
There  is  a  fine  shower  bath  room  and  toilets  for  officers  and  men,  linen  closets, 
and  a  recreation  room,  some  of  these  occupying  the  rear  portion  of  the  building. 

In  the  police  wing  of  the  building  there  is  a  large  drill  hall  in  the  basement, 
locker  rooms,  sergeants'  room,  smoking  room,  storage  rooms,  toilets  and  shower 
bath.  There  is  also  a  large  room  in  which  the  homeless  are  provided  with  sleep- 
ing accommodations. 

On  the  first  floor  are  the  offices  of  the  police  department  officials,  a  men's  cell 
room  with  thirty  cells  and  room  for  ten  more,  detention  rooms  and  a  police  garage, 
the  entrance  to  which  is  from  the  rear  of  the  building.  The  second  floor  accom- 
modates the  detective  bureau  with  offices,  a  Iiertillon  room,  dark  room,  detention 


46  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

room  for  women,  a  cell  room  with  ten  cells  for  women,  matron's  office,  bed  room, 
living  room  and  kitchen. 

Directly  facing  the  main  street  entrance  is  the  10-foot  main  inner  staircase  of 
white  marble,  which,  ascending  some  twenty-six  steps  to  a  first  landing,  branches 
to  either  side,  and  winds  up  and  back  to  the  second  floor.  Leading  to  the  right 
and  left  of  the  first  floor  central  hall  are  two  corridors  all  in  white  marble,  and 
both  with  lofty  ceilings  in  the  same  design  as  the  main  hall.  On  either  side  of 
these  corridors  are  the  first  set  of  city  offices.  At  the  end  of  either  corridor  are 
the  side  entrances  of  the  building,  reached  by  sets  of  marble  steps.  The  corridors 
are  fourteen  feet  in  width,  with  all  of  the  office  doors  inset  in  arched  alcoves 
which  are  duplicated  at  regular  intervals  along  the  wall  of  the  corridors.  The 
lighting  for  the  main  hall  and  corridors  is  furnished  by  ten  large  decorative  bronze 
hanging  fixtures,  strung  through  the  center  of  the  corridors  and  grouped  in  the 
main  hall.    At  the  left  of  the  staircase  on  entering  is  located  the  elevator. 

The  corridors  and  ceilings  are  decorated  in  grayish  ivory  relieved  by  soft  buff 
and  violet  in  the  coffers.  All  this  decorating,  as  well  as  the  special  rooms,  was  done 
by  Arthur  Willetts,  of  New  York. 

Featured  in  the  artistic  decoration  of  the  building  are  the  ten  circular  bas-relief 
inset  medallions.  Six  are  set  in  the  front  and  two  each  in  the  Field  Street  anc1 
Library  side  of  the  structure.  They  symbolize  Truth,  Prudence,  Industry,  the 
City  Seal,  Commerce,  Force,  Law,  Justice,  Wisdom  and  Order. 

The  aldermanic  chamber  is  of  noble  proportions,  with  a  lofty,  elaborately  deco- 
rated ceiling.  The  walls  are  of  greenish  gray  plaster  and  rise  from  a  white  base. 
All  carry  inset  Muted  white  columns.  For  illumination  there  is  a  massive  hanging 
cluster  of  lights  set  in  two  concentric  circles,  the  larger  outer  circle  carrying  twenty- 
seven  lights  in  the  form  of  imitation  candles,  and  the  inner  circle  carrying  thirteen 
of  the  same  variety. 

Over  the  president's  seal  are  inscribed  the  words :  "Let  not  mercy  and  truth 
forsake  thee.  Bind  them  about  thy  neck ;  write  them  upon  the  tablet  of  thy  heart, 
so  thou  shalt  find  favor  and  good  understanding  in  the  sight  of  God  and  man."-- 
Proverbs,  III. 

The  city  court  room,  at  the  west  end  of  the  corridor,  is  finished  in  much  the 
same  style  as  the  aldermanic  chamber  and  is  of  the  same  generous  proportions. 
It  has  the  same  massive  pendant  light  cluster.  The  walls  are  treated  in  a  grayish 
motif,  relieved  by  decorated  motifs  in  the  frieze  and  panels.  Over  the  judge's 
bench  is  inscribed:  "The  foundations  of  justice  are  that  none  shall  be  harmed 
and  the  commonweal  be  served."  The  interior  decorations  are  beautiful.  This 
work  was  done  by  Arthur  Willetts,  of  New  York. 

A  large  bell  which  was  purchased  by  the  City  Hall  Commission  was  intended 
to  be  installed  on  the  roof  of  the  city  hall.  The  light  and  graceful  clock  tower 
on  the  building  not  being  designed  to  carry  the  added  weight,  the  architect  was 
asked  to  furnish  an  estimate  of  cost  for  a  bell  tower.  This  would  have  been 
expensive  and  would  probably  have  destroyed  the  harmony  of  the  sky  lines.  It 
was  offered  to  the  board  of  education  for  use  on  a  school  and  to  the  board  of 
public  safety  for  a  fire  bell,  but  was  refused  because  there  was  no  money  available 
to  add  a  bell  tower  to  any  existing  building.  There  was  a  highly  eligible  location 
for  it  in  the  tower  of  the  Union  Station,  although  this  was  open  to  the  seeming 
objection  that  the  station  was  the  property,  not  of  the  city,  but  of  the  New  York, 
New  Haven  and  Hartford  Railroad.  However,  this  was  overlooked,  the  company 
was  induced  to  consent  to  the  installation  of  the  bell  there  and  it  was  raised  in  the 
summer  of  1916.  It  remained  in  the  control  of  the  city  to  be  rung  on  special 
occasions. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY       47 

The  municipal  flag  which  floats  from  the  staff  was  officially  adopted  on  October 
it,  1915.  This  is  the  approved  design:  "The  City  Seal  in  the  center  of  the  flag, 
and  the  motto,  'Quid  Aere  Perennius.'  underneath  the  seal.  The  words,  'City  of 
Waterbury'  overhead  the  seal,  and  the  figures  '1853-1915'  underneath  the  seal; 
the  seal  and  lettering  to  be  gold  on  a  blue  ground;  size  of  flag,  18  feet." 

The  following  is  the  summary  of  the  receipts  and  expenditures  in  connection 
with  the  purchase  of  the  site,  and  the  erection  and  equipment  of  the  building. 

REALIZED 

From  insurance  on  old  building $  62,476.47 

From  bond  issue : 

Authorized  sale  of  10-year  bonds  issued  December,  1913 100,000.00 

Authorized  sale  of  40-year  bonds  issued  June,  1914 400,000.00 

Authorized  sale  of  40-year  bonds  issued  June,  1915 400,000.00 

Total   $962,476.47 

EXPENDED 

For  purchase  of  original  site $  92,000.00 

For  purchase  of  addition  from  United  Electric  Light  &  Water  Company  33,000.00 

For  purchase  of  addition  from  Piatt  Brothers  &  Co 19,740.00 

To  Geo.  A.  Fuller  Co.  for  construction 604.300.73 

Expenses  and  fees,  Cass  Gilbert,  architect 49,240.71 

Expense  of  competition  on  plans 11,050.55 

Bell    1 3-137-94 

Gamewell  Fire  Alarm 19,712.43 

Furniture,  equipment,  supplies,  etc 85,303.30 

$917,485.60 

THE    DEDICATION    EXERCISES "OLD    HOME    WEEK'' 

At  the  suggestion  of  the  Waterbury  Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  board  of  alder- 
men in  the  summer  of  1915  endorsed  the  idea  of  holding  an  "Old  Home  Week" 
as  a  means  of  properly  dedicating  the  new  city  hall,  but  neither  the  aldermen  nor 
the  city  hall  commission  could  find  any  legal  authority  for  voting  the  necessary 
funds.  The  city  found  it  could  spend  $500  which  went  to  pay  expenses  of  the 
actual  dedicatory  exercises  and  the  chamber  of  commerce  undertook  to  provide  for 
all  other  expenses  and  to  manage  the  celebration.  A  general  meeting  of  representa- 
tives of  lodges  and  societies  from  all  sections  of  the  city  was  held  at  the  Elks' 
Club  and  it  was  found  that  there  was  a  real  desire  for  an  extensive  celebration. 
It  was  so  long  since  there  had  been  any  occasion  for  celebration  that  it  was  at  first 
proposed  to  make  the  celebration  last  a  week  and  bring  the  entire  brigade  of  the 
Connecticut  National  Guard  here  for  a  military  parade.  This,  however,  proved  to 
be  impractical,  but  a  very  lively  program  was  arranged  for  Thursday,  Friday  and 
Saturday,  November  25th,  26th  and  27th. 

On  Friday  morning  the  school  children  paraded,  with  an  escort  of  Boy  Scouts, 
from  Croft  School  to  Grand  Street,  where  exercises  were  held  in  front  of  the  city 
hall.  Children  from  the  South  Main  Street  playground  gave  folk  dances.  The 
school  children  sang  the  "Old  Home  Week"  song,  "An  Invitation,"  the  words  of 
which  were  written  by  Rev.  John  G.  Davenport,  D.  1).  Afterwards  the  children 
paraded  to  Chase  Park  Bridge,  where  the  Sled  Haul  Brook  Tablet  was  dedicated. 
This  was  erected  by  the  Mattatuck  Historical  Society  and  unveiled  on  this  occasion 


48  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

by  Edwin  S.  Hunt,  assisted  by  Miss  Carolyn  White  Griggs  and  Master  Roger 
Sherman  Makepeace,  the  latter  a  direct  descendant  of  Rev.  John  Southmayd  and 
Rev.  Mark  Leavenworth. 

The  historical  interest  of  the  occasion,  which  was  further  amplified  by  Rev. 
Joseph  Anderson,  D.  D.,  in  a  characteristically  thorough  historical  address,  is 
sufficiently  told  for  our  purpose  here  by  the  inscription  which  reads  as  follows : 

"On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  and  probably  in  the  small  hill  about  forty 
rods  easterly,  tradition  says  that  the  first  settlers  of  Waterbury  spent  their  first 
winter  in  a  dugout  or  cave.  Wood  was  obtained  from  this  side  and  hauled  on  a 
sled  across  the  frozen  still  water;  hence,  Sled-Haul  and  Sled  Hall  Brook,  1677-8." 

"Erected  by  the  Mattatuck  Historical  Society,   1915." 

On  Thursday  evening  came  the  dedication  of  the  "Clock  on  The  Green,"  the 
acceptance  of  the  big  flag  pole  on  The  Green  by  the  city  and  a  fireworks  display 
on  Grand  Street  opposite  the  city  hall.  The  Elks  arranged  a  special  ritual  for  the 
clock  dedication  and  the  ceremony  was  in  charge  of  Dr.  J.  W.  Fruin.  The  pre- 
sentation address  was  by  Charles  A.  Colley,  speaking  for  the  chamber  of  commerce, 
and  the  unveiling  was  by  little  Miss  Jackson,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles 
A.  Jackson,  Mr.  Jackson  being  the  contractor  for  the  monument.  Mayor  Scully 
and  the  late  Rev.  F.  D.  Buckley  also  spoke. 

The  annual  parade  of  the  police  and  fire  departments  followed  at  1  P.  M.  and 
at  2  P.  M.  came  the  dedication  exercises  at  the  city  hall.  Capt.  Alfred  F.  Wolff 
presided,  the  opening  prayer  was  by  Reverend  Doctor  Anderson  and  the  bene- 
diction by  Rev.  Luke  Fitzsimons.  The  new  municipal  flag  and  the  national  emblem 
were  raised  on  the  Venetian  flag  poles  in  front  of  the  building  for  the  first  time 
under  the  auspices  of  Wadhams  Post,  Sons  of  Veterans,  Berlin. 

On  Friday  evening  Governor  Marcus  A.  Holcomb  and  his  staff  were  the 
guests  of  honor  at  a  ball  given  at  Buckingham  Hall.  Prior  to  this  a  banquet  had 
been  given  the  visitors  at  The  Elton  by  the  chamber  of  commerce. 

It  is  estimated  that  125,000  people  saw  the  civic  and  military  parade  held 
Saturday  afternoon,  November  2"],  191 5.  On  the  reviewing  stand  with  the  gov- 
ernor were  the  members  of  his  staff,  Mayor  Scully  of  Waterbury,  Mayor  Rice  of 
New  Ffaven,  Mayor  Dutton  of  Bristol,  and  many  local  men  of  note.  This  was 
also  the  day  for  the  formal  opening  of  the  new  city  hall  for  public  inspection. 

In  the  parade  were  the  Second  Regiment,  Connecticut  National  Guard,  the 
First  and  Second  Companies,  Governor's  Foot  Guard,  the  Putnam  Phalanx,  the 
Connecticut  Brigade,  Uniformed  Rank,  Knights  of  Pythias,  many  civic  societies 
and  a  score  of  floats.  The  line  of  march  led  over  the  new  Freight  Street  Bridge, 
which  was  used  on  this  day  for  the  first  time.  Col.  James  Geddes  was  grand 
marshal. 

The  total  expenses  of  the  celebration  were  approximately  $7,500.  This  amount 
had  been  raised  by  public  subscription  and  as  there  were  revenues  from  sale  of 
programs,  grand  stand  seats  and  privileges  amounting  to  over  two  thousand  dol- 
lars, the  celebration  produced  a  surplus  which  was  turned  over  to  the  chamber  of 
commerce. 

SALE  OF  THE  OLD  CITY   HALL  PROPERTV 

In  January,  191 7,  the  city  sold  the  site  of  the  old  city  hall  building,  including 
the  ruins  remaining  from  the  disastrous  fire  of  1912,  together  with  the  building 
occupied  by  the  police  department,  the  three-story  fire  headquarters,  and  the  old 
building,  with  its  additions,  which  had  housed  the  Bronson  Library  until  it  was  re- 
moved to  its  present  Grand  Street  site.  The  amount  paid  was  $225,000,  and  the 
purchasers  were  James  E.  Russell,  of  Waterbury,  and  Edwin  S.  Dreyfus,  of  Boston. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY       49 

In  March,  the  entire  property  was  sold  by  Russell  and  Dreyfus  to  the  George 
L.  Lilley  Company.  This  corporation,  during  the  summer  of  1917,  sold  the  brick 
fire  house  to  P.  M.  Devenis  of  Waterbury,  who  had  the  building  moved  to  its 
present  site  on  Kendrick  Avenue,  opposite  the  court  house. 

The  old  city  hall  site  has  now  been  cleared  of  all  debris,  and  the  foundation  of 
a  new  building,  being  erected  by  the  George  L.  Lilley  Company,  is  completed. 
The  plans  for  this  are  by  Wilfred  E.  Griggs,  and  provide  for  a  business  building 
to  occupy  a  space  of  145  feet  on  West  Main  and  175  feet  on  Leavenworth  streets, 
the  latter  frontage  along  the  lines  of  the  widened  street.  The  building  is  to  be 
two  stories  high  for  100  feet  back  of  West  Main  Street,  and  one  story  high  on 
the  remaining  lot.  It  is  to  be  a  plain  brick  structure,  with  eleven  stores  and 
fifty-five  offices. 

THE  WATERBURY  COURT  HOUSE 

From  1867  to  [896  the  city  of  Waterbury  furnished  a  court  room  in  the  city 
hall  to  the  superior  court  for  New  Haven  County  for  its  sessions  in  Water- 
bury. This  was  at  the  southeast  corner  of  the  building.  The  building  of  the 
police  station  in  1890  at  the  southeast  corner  of  the  city  hall  property  shut  out 
light  and  air  to  a  great  extent  from  the  court,  which  was  the  principal  room  on  the 
main  floor  of  the  building.  Anderson's  History  records  that  there  was  severe 
criticism  of  the  location  of  the  police  building  which  gave  superior  court  judges 
an  excuse  for  frequently  adjourning  the  terms  of  the  W'aterbury  Superior  Court 
to  New  Haven.  Doctor  Anderson  also  records  that  "there  are  now  both  civil  and 
criminal  terms  of  the  superior  court  by  law  established  and  nominally  held  in 
Waterbury,  though  frequently  adjourned  to  New  Haven." 

This  proving  inconvenient,  the  County  of  New  Haven  erected  a  court  house 
at  Leavenworth  Street  and  Kendrick  Avenue,  fronting  on  the  former  street.  It 
was  opened  in  December,  1896,  and  cost  the  county  $91,000.  On  February  24, 
1905,  the  county  commissioners  celebrated  the  burning  up  of  sixty-one  of  the 
4  per  cent,  gold  coin,  $1,000  bonds  issued  by  the  county  to  pay  for  the  new  building. 
This  extinguished  the  county  debt  for  the  time  being. 

The  county  soon  got  into  debt  again,  for  the  need  of  a  new  and  a  larger  court 
house  had  become  evident  in  1906,  and  it  was  in  that  year  that  an  effort  was  made 
to  secure  an  appropriation  for  a  new  building,  or  for  the  reconstruction  of  the  old 
building.  Simultaneously  a  new  court  house  project  started  in  New  Haven  result- 
ing in  the  monumental  marble  structure  erected  there  at  a  cost  of  one  million 
dollars.    The  two  buildings  were  authorized  at  the  same  county  caucus. 

In  1908,  the  tentative  plans  for  the  complete  reconstruction  of  the  Waterbury 
building  were  submitted  to  the  county  commissioners,  and  the  first  appropriation 
had  been  secured.  On  March  7,  1910,  the  courts  were  moved  to  one  of  the  floors 
in  the  Odd  Fellows  Building  and  were  compelled  to  make  these  cramped  quarters 
serve  until  August  1,  191 1,  when  the  new  building  was  occupied. 

The  first  session  of  the  superior  court  was  held  in  the  new  building  by  Judge 
Lucien  F.  Burpee  on  September  12,  1911.  Rev.  John  N.  Lewis,  rector  of  St. 
John's  Church,  delivered  the  opening  prayer. 

When  the  building  was  completed,  the  cost  was  found  to  be  $164,412.05.  This 
did  not  include  the  interior  furnishings  for  which  another  heavy  appropriation 
was  made. 

The  building  was  constructed  about  the  old  court  house,  the  entire  exterior 
being  new.  The  old  court  house  was  two  stories  in  height.  The  new  one  has 
three  stories.  Two  wings  were  added,  thus  giving  ample  room  for  the  court  work. 
The  Leavenworth  Street  facade  was  torn  down  and  the  building  enlarged,  a  new 
entrance  being  made  on  Kendrick  Avenue. 

Vol.  1—4 


50  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

The  exterior  is  built  in  the  Italian  Renaissance,  the  four  massive  Ionic  columns 
giving-  it  a  decidedly  classic  appearance.  The  outside  is  terra  cotta  for  the  orna- 
mental work,  granite  for  underpinning,  and  red  tapestry  brick. 

There  are  three  high  and  commodious  court  rooms,  each  with  judges'  chambers 
and  comfortable  jury  rooms  attached.  The  interior  is  furnished  in  ash.  The 
offices  for  the  clerks  of  the  court  are  especially  adapted  for  the  easy  filing  and 
safekeeping  of  records.  The  probate  court  occupied  a  smaller  court  room  until 
1916,  but  was  then  removed  to  the  city  hall  and  that  room  is  being  fitted  up  as  an 
office  for  the  county  commissioners. 

Some  of  the  rooms  have  been  used  recently  for  meetings  of  the  draft  exemption 
boards. 

waterbury's  federal  building 

Doctor  Anderson's  History  left  the  United  States  Postoffice  in  the  E.  R.  Lamp- 
son  Building  on  the  present  site  of  the  Manufacturers  National  Bank  Building, 
but  on  October  15,  1895,  the  Odd  Fellows  Building  was  dedicated  and  quarters 
were  prepared  in  it  which  were  to  house  the  postoffice  for  a  few  years.  The 
change  from  Bank  Street,  where  the  mails  had  been  handled  since  1870,  was  made 
as  soon  as  the  old  lease  expired  on  July  11,  1900. 

Waterbury  had  agitated  long  and  contentiously  for  a  postoffice  In  1900  it 
had  again  outgrown  its  quarters  and  Congressman  Nehemiah  D.  Sperry  was 
working  to  have  the  city  placed  on  the  list  for  an  appropriation,  which  was  how- 
ever by  no  means  adequate.  The  site  was  to  cost  no  more  than  $40,000,  and  the 
building  with  all  appurtenances  was  to  be  kept  within  the  $150,000  appropriation. 
No  action  was  taken,  however,  until  1902,  when  on  the  strength  of  sympathy  for 
Waterbury's  loss  by  the  big  fire,  Mr.  Sperry  had  the  matter  rushed  through. 

In  the  summer  of  1902  an  inspector  of  the  United  States  Treasury  Department 
came  to  Waterbury  to  look  over  the  available  sites.  Within  a  week  he  had  been 
tendered  eight  different  properties,  but  made  it  clear  to  the  business  men  that  his 
choice  lay  between  the  property  at  West  Main  Street  and  Holmes  Avenue,  on 
which  the  Waterbury  Club  is  now  building  and  the  present  site. 

The  men  interested  in  the  development  of  Grand  Street  got  together  and 
found  that  the  properties  really  wanted  by  the  Government  would  mean  a  158-foot 
front  on  Grand  Street,  and  were  known  as  the  Blake,  Dykman  and  Peck  proper- 
ties, for  which  approximately  $58,000  was  asked.  This  was  divided  as  follows: 
$25,000  for  the  Blake  property,  $15,000  for  the  Dykman  holdings,  and  $18,000 
for  the  Peck  property. 

The  sum  of  $18,000  was  raised  within  a  few  hours  through  the  efforts  of 
Thomas  D.  Barlow,  George  E.  Boyd  and  George  L.  White.  The  net  amount 
contributed  was  $14,000,  as  the  Boys'  Club  site  was  set  off  and  netted  the  con- 
tributors a  return  of  $4,000.    The  following  contributed : 

The  Waterbury  National  Bank,  The  A.  S.  Chase  Co.,  The  American  Printing 
Co.,  D.  T.  Hart,  D.  E.  Fitzpatrick,  Charles  O'Connor,  Margaret  D.  Atkins,  George 
E.  Judd,  W.  H.  Camp,  The  Reid  &  Hughes  Dry  Goods  Co.,  E.  B.  Bowditch,  H.  S. 
Chase,  J.  H.  Whittemore,  George  L.  White,  Harriet  W.  Harrison,  John  W.  Gaff- 
ney,  Elisha  Leavenworth,  Lewis  Beardsley,  D.  H.  Tierney,  New  England  Engineer- 
ing Co.,  and  The  Barlow  Brothers  Co. 

On  January  14,  1903,  land  was  officially  deeded  to  the  Government  by  George 
E.  Boyd  for  $40,000. 

Work  was  begun  in  the  spring  from  plans  of  Supervising  Architect  Taylor 
of  the  Treasury  Department,  which  provided  for  a  building  much  on  the  style 
of  other  public  structures  in  the  country.    The  front  is  of  limestone  and  red  brick. 


I'(  )STOFFICK.   WATERRURY 


THE   C01  RTHOUSE,    \\  ATERBURY 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  51 

with  ornamental  half  pillars  on  each  side  of  the  entrance.  The  interior  finish  is 
of  stucco  and  wood.  On  February  i_\  [905,  the  postoffice  was  moved  into  its  new 
quarters  without  ceremony  of  any  kind. 

In  1884  there  were  four  carriers  of  whom  two  are  still  in  the  service,  John  J. 
Kunkel,  Carrier  No.  3.  and  Charles  Hotchkiss,  Carrier  No.  1.  John  W.  Hill  will 
on  January  1.  (918,  celebrate  his  fiftieth  year  in  the  service.  He  has  heen  post- 
master, general  clerk,  money  order  clerk,  and  is  now  employed  in  the  money  order 
division.  In  1893  the  force  consisted  of  eight  clerks,  ten  carriers  and  one  substitute 
carrier. 

In  191 7  there  are  forty-seven  regular  carriers,  and  three  extras,  making  fifty 
in  all.     There  are  forty-three  clerks  in  all  departments. 

There  are  four  star  routes  connected  with  the  local  postoffice.  One  of  these 
is  a  night  Xew  Haven  service  ;  another  gives  four  daily  deliveries  and  returns  from 
North  Woodhury ;  another  four  daily  deliveries  and  returns  from  Watertown, 
and  a  fourth  gives  one  daily  delivery  and  return  from  Torrington. 

There  are  four  rural  routes  out  of  the  Waterhury  postoffice. 

The  Waterville  postoffice  is  an  independent  station,  with  George  H.  Ford  as 
superintendent.    There  are  in  addition  to  this  nine  sub-stations. 

The  parcels  post  started  in  1914  with  one  team  used  for  part  of  a  day.  In  1917 
the  service  consists  of  one  auto  truck  and  three  teams. 

The  screen  wagon  service  for  registered  mail  consists  of  two  first-class  auto 
trucks. 

In  191 7  the  demands  for  more  room  resulted  in  an  appropriation  of  approxi- 
mately $6,000,  to  cover  changes  upstairs  and  on  the  main  floor.  The  upper  floor 
now  houses  the  money  order  ana  registry  divisions,  with  new  offices  for  the  post- 
master.   About  800  square  feet  of  space  has  heen  added  to  the  working  quarters. 

The  growth  of  the  postoffice  has  kept  pace  with  the  growth  of  the  city.  Post- 
office  receipts  for  1893  were  $56,047;  for  1901,  were  $80,180.64;  for  1910,  $162,- 
287.60;  for  1916,  $232,120.90;  for  nine  months  of  1917,  $175,077.90. 

The  postmasters  since  1893  have  been:  1894,  Col.  John  B.  Doherty ;  1894  to 
1898,  Daniel  E.  Fitzpatrick;  1898  to  1906,  T.  H.  Guernsey;  1906  to  1915,  James 
IT.  Pilling:  1915,  E.  M.  O'Brien. 

John  T.  Boylan  was  assistant  postmaster  for  all  of  these  appointees  from  1894, 
succeeding  Daniel  E.  Fitzpatrick  in  that  year,  until  the  date  of  his  death,  January 
1,  1916.     James  T.  Kelley  is  now  assistant  postmaster. 

The  postal  savings  department  started  here  as  elsewhere  in  191 1  and  has 
been  very  successful.  There  are  at  present,  November  1,  1917,  1,460  operating 
accounts  with  total  deposits  of  $388,221. 

This  shows  almost  a  record  percentage  of  growth  for  the  United  States.  The 
figures  for  the  six  years  are  as  follows : 

October  31,  1911 $     1,117 

October  31,  1912 9>6l7 

October  31,  1913 l4A72 

October  31,  1914 i9>938 

October  31,  1915 46,599 

October  31,  1916 199-740 

October  31,  1917 388,221 

In  May,  189T,  the  letter  carriers  working  out  of  the  Waterhury  office  formed 
an  organization,  which  is  still  active.  Its  officers  in  191 7  are:  President,  William 
McLean:  recording  secretary.  A.  W.  Nichols;  financial  secretary.  J.  J.  Scadden ; 
treasurer,  George  A.  Stevens. 


CHAPTER  V 
PARKS  AND  CEMETERIES 

FIRST    MAP    OF    HAMILTON    PARK — ENLARGING    THE    CITY'S    HOLDINGS — LANDSCAPE 
WORK — DRAINAGE  FOR  PONDS — ANNUAL  TAX  PROVIDES  FOR  PARK  IMPROVEMENTS 

CHASE    PARK    CREATED SWIMMING    POOL    A    BIG    SUCCESS ATHLETIC     FIELD 

EQUIPPED PLAYGROUNDS  BOUGHT  FOR  DIFFERENT  SECTIONS  OF   CITY THE  MU- 
NICIPAL FIELD  DAYS — THE  LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  GREEN THE  CLOCK  AND  THE 

FLAGSTAFF THE  FRANKLIN  STATUE THE  CITY'S  CEMETERIES. 

The  park  system  of  Waterbury  is  the  growth  of  the  past  twenty  years.  Aside 
from  The  Green,  there  were  no  public  breathing  spots  or  playgrounds  two  decades 
ago.  Hamilton  Park  had  just  been  given  to  the  city  by  Mrs.  David  B.  Hamilton 
in  memory  of  her  husband,  and  its  improvement  was  a  slow  matter.  The  city 
officials  could  not  see  the  importance  of  getting  the  full  benefit  of  this  beautiful 
spot  at  once.  It  was  due  largely  to  the  constant  urging  and  to  the  planning  and 
work  of  City  Engineer  Robert  Cairns  that  the  first  real  steps  toward  park  devel- 
opment were  taken. 

The  first  map  of  Hamilton  Park  was  made  by  City  Engineer  Cairns  in  1900. 
He  then  announced  that  the  completion  of  a  contour  map  in  1901  would  make 
possible  the  systematic  improvement  of  the  park.  The  first  work  along  this  gen- 
eral line  in  kjoi  was  the  laying  out  of  the  old  Plank  Road  and  the  "Brass  Mill" 
Road,  which  bounded  Hamilton  Park  on  two  sides. 

In  1902  the  first  notable  improvement  was  made  in  Hamilton  Park,  the  two 
parcels  of  land  forming  the  triangle  at  the  juncture  of  East  Main  Street  and  the 
I  'lank  Road  having  been  purchased  to  give  the  park  a  better  entrance  on  East  Main 
Street.  In  1902,  also,  the  survey  of  South  or  Windermere  Park  was  made,  so  that 
the  way  was  now  clear  for  the  actual  work  of  transforming  the  park  area  into  a 
garden  spot.  In  1903,  at  the  suggestion  of  City  Engineer  Cairns,  Landscape  Archi- 
tect George  Pentecost,  of  New  York,  prepared  the  first  formal  plan  for  the  future 
development  of  the  park.  Mr.  Cairns  in  this  year  took  the  first  step  to  create  the 
present  lake  ponds,  which  were  then  little  better  than  mud  holes.  He  began  with 
the  help  of  the  street  department  to  clear  both  of  mud,  arranged  to  fill  the  bottoms 
with  gravel,  and  to  construct  a  long  and  deep  drain  from  Silver  Street  through  the 
park  to  the  ponds,  thus  enabling  him  in  1904  to  regulate  the  water  level.  The  grad- 
ing of  two-thirds  of  a  mile  along  the  main  drive  gave  the  people  an  opportunity 
for  the  first  time  to  get  a  view  of  the  interior  of  this  beautiful  stretch  of  ground. 

In  1904  the  expenditure  of  the  $5,000  appropriation  under  the  direction  of  the 
city  engineer  was  devoted  to  the  rougher  work,  leaving  the  finer  work  for  a  later 
period.  Especial  attention  was  given  to  the  widening  of  the  main  drive  and  getting 
its  surface  smooth  and  hard.  The  slopes  along  the  driveway  were  covered  with 
loam  and  seeded.  A  number  of  foot  paths  were  laid  out  and  roughly  graded,  care 
being  taken  to  avoid  too  heavy  cutting  or  running  into  valuable  trees  or  shrubbery. 
These  considerations  compelled  some  variations  from  the  exact  locations  shown 
on  the  plans  of  the  park,  but  in  general  this  was  strictly  followed.     The  total 

52 


GREEN,  WITH  ST.  JOHNS  CHURCH  AND  SOLDIERS'  MONUMENT.  WATERBURY 


VIEW  OF   WEST  MAIN   STREET,   LOOKING   NORTH,   WATERBURY 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY       53 

length  of  driveway  in  the  park  at  the  end  of  K)04  was  3,254  lineal  feet,  and  the 
length  of  paths  was  6,830  feet. 

On  the  path  along  the  top  of  the  ridge  parallel  to  the  Plank  Road  a  small 
rustic  summer  house  was  built  with  rustic  seats.  The  old  mill  dam  on  Carrington 
Brook  was  repaired  and  made  tight,  and  the  small  pond  cleaned  out  and  refilled 
with  gravel.  This  made  a  shady  little  wading  pond.  The  most  expensive  piece  of 
work  done  in  1904  was  the  completion  of  the  work  of  digging  out  the  sink  south  of 
the  Plank  Road  and  north  of  the  Tompkins  property,  and  the  completion  of  the 
connection  with  city  water.  There  had  always  been  a  pond  here,  with  a  consider- 
able depth  of  soft,  peaty  mud  at  the  bottom,  and  several  children  had  in  times  past 
lost  their  lives  there.  It  was  now  easy  to  arrange  for  an  ornamental  fountain  in 
the  center  of  the  pond. 

The  fountain  in  Stanley  Park,  done  entirely  by  the  city  engineer's  department, 
was  completed  in  1904. 

( ieorge  C.  Walker  took  active  charge  as  superintendent  in  1905,  having  been 
appointed  in  the  previous  year.  Some  new  paths  were  laid  out  and  graded  and 
the  main  drive  was  extended  across  Carrington  Brook  and  given  a  new  outlet  at 
the  Plank  Road.  A  concrete  steel  arch  bridge  was  built  at  the  brook  crossing 
and  much  pains  was  taken  in  the  de'sign  of  the  structure  and  in  the  arrangement  of 
the  various  accessories  to  produce  a  pleasing  effect. 

The  small  pond  used  for  a  skating  rink  during  the  winter  was  drawn  down  in 
the  spring  and  the  gravel  refilling  to  a  uniform  depth  of  30  inches  was  completed. 
A  fountain  was  placed  in  the  center  and  it  was  decided  to  try  the  experiment  of 
using  the  pond  as  a  swimming  and  wading  pool.  Only  children  under  twelve  years 
were  admitted.  A  shelter  was  built  for  the  boys  and  a  room  in  a  barn  nearby  was 
used  by  the  girls  for  dressing.  A  man  was  always  on  duty  at  the  pond  to  guard 
against  accidents  and  to  prevent  boisterous  conduct.  During  July  and  August  the 
pool  is  used  daily  by  several  hundred  children. 

The  playground  idea  was  made  prominent  in  1905.  Besides  the  swimming  and 
skating,  swings  were  put  up  in  the  grove,  and  a  ball  field  roughly  laid  out.  By 
actual  count  on  one  Sunday  this  summer,  nearly  3,000  people  entered  Hamilton 
Park. 

A  special  appropriation  of  $15,000  was  made  in  191 5  for  the  purchase  of  all 
of  the  land  not  already  owned  by  the  city  in  the  block  bounded  by  East  Main 
Street,  Plank  Road,  and  the  Brass  Mill  Road.  The  owners  held  out  for  $17,500, 
and  the  matter  being  brought  to  the  attention  of  Miss  Caroline  A.  Piatt,  she 
generously  offered  to  make  up  the  difference.  Her  offer  wras  accepted,  and  the 
land  purchased  and  named  Proprietors'  Common,  in  memory  of  the  original 
settlers  of  Waterbury. 

The  city  now  held  in  one  compact  tract  at  this  point  about  sixty-five  acres  of 
land,  and  the  next  step  was  the  improvement  of  the  Plank  Road. 

In  1905  Mrs.  A.  S.  Chase  purchased  the  land  adjoining  the  Naugatuck  River 
and  Riverside  Street,  between  the  hospital  grounds  and  Riverside  Cemetery,  a 
tract  beautifully  situated  and  well-wooded,  and  presented  it  to  the  city  to  be 
used  for  park  purposes  as  a  memorial  to  her  husband.  Taken  in  connection  with 
the  hospital  and  cemetery  grounds,  it  makes  a  continuous  line  of  park  for  nearlv 
a  mile. 

A  charter  amendment  providing  for  an  annual  tax  for  park  purposes  of  one 
quarter  of  a  mill  passed  the  General  Assembly  and  became  a  law  operative  for 
1906.  Consequently  there  was  available  for  1907  about  $10,750.  Additions 
were  made  to  the  number  of  grass  plots  at  street  intersections,  of  which  hereto- 
fore there  were  only  Stanley  Park,  at  East  Main  and  Elm  streets,  one  at  North 


54  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Main  and  Hill  streets,  and  one  at  West  Main  Street  and  Highland  Avenue.  In 
1906  a  small  one  around  the  elm  tree  at  Bank  and  Grand  streets,  and  another  at 
North  Main  and  Cooke  streets  were  created.  These  green  oases  in  the  midst  of 
paved  streets  added  greatly  to  the  attractiveness  of  the  city. 

The  appropriation  under  the  new  tax  brought  about  rapid  improvements 
particularly  at  Hamilton  Park.  Boats  were  placed  on  the  lake  for  the  first  time. 
Flower  beds  were  laid  out,  trees  were  set  out,  and  work  was  begun  on  the  swim- 
ming pool  and  on  the  athletic  field. 

At  Chase  Park  the  first  permanent  improvements  were  made  in  1907. 

In  1907  the  swimming  pool  at  Hamilton  Park  was  thrown  open  to  the  public 
and  met  with  instant  approval ;  as  did  the  playground  opened  in  the  spring  of 
the  year.  The  north  end  was  this  year  given  the  playground  at  Locust  and  Wal- 
nut streets. 

It  was  found  necessary  in  1907  to  add  several  thousand  yards  of  loam  to  the 
soil  of  The  Green  before  seeding.    This  made  it  a  beautiful  park  for  the  summer. 

In  1908  the  "Indian  Basin"  to  the  left  as  one  enters  Hamilton  Park  was 
changed  from  a  marsh  into  a  fine  lake,  many  aquatic  plants  adorning  its  surface. 

Ladies'  day  was  instituted  at  the  swimming  pool,  and  benches  were  generously 
placed  about  the  park  during  this  year. 

During  1908  the  work  of  grading  and  turfing  Library  Park  was  begun,  and 
1909  saw  the  removal  of  the  Hotchkiss  Paper  Company  plant,  the  packing  houses 
and  residences,  the  result  in  every  way  justifying  the  improvements. 

In  1909  the  appropriation  from  the  special  park  tax  amounted  to  $12,750. 
In  Hamilton  Park  new  paths  were  laid  out,  all  buildings  were  painted  and  the 
children's  playground  was  enlarged. 

In  1909  also  new  paths  were  constructed  in  Chase  Park,  seats  were  placed 
in  all  available  spaces,  and  four  band  concerts  were  given  during  the  summer 
months. 

The  city  in  1909  established  its  third  playground,  leasing  a  large  plot  of  ground 
on  Sylvan  Avenue. 

The  year  1909  is  known  as  the  elm-beetle  year.  The  park  department  found 
it  necessary  to  cut  down  forty  trees,  many  of  them  the  fine  old  trees  planted 
on  The  Green  from  1842  to  1845.  Constant  spraying,  however,  put  an  end  to  the 
trouble,  and  there  was  little  of  this  nature  to  contend  with  in  the  following  year. 

In  1910  the  small  zoo  at  Hamilton  Park  had  grown  in  a  year  and  contained 
two  monkeys,  four  coons,  one  possum,  one  red-tail  hawk,  one  large  owl,  one  fox, 
ten  grey  squirrels,  and  twenty  guinea  pigs,  almost  all  donations. 

During  this  year,  the  pool  was  used  for  hockey  and  polo  and  in  the  summer 
as  many  as  500  children  patronized  it  in  a  day.  The  baseball  diamond  and  the 
lawn  tennis  grounds  were  laid  out  this  year. 

Elisha  Leavenworth's  gift  of  $3,500,  on  condition  that  the  city  appropriate 
a  like  sum  for  a  bridge  over  Sled  Haul  Brook  in  Chase  Park,  hastened  the  work 
of  improving  this  beauty  spot.  A  new  rustic  dam,  a  new  foot  bridge  and  many 
new  paths  were  laid.  In  this  year  the  old  Town  Cemetery,  which  has  not  yet 
been  improved,  was  added  to  Chase  Park. 

In  191 1  the  appropriation  for  parks  had  grown  to  $13,025.  This  year  there 
were  four  playgrounds,  one-half  acre  in  Washington  Avenue  having  been  added 
to  the  list.  In  this  year  Miss  Helen  E.  Chase  gave  the  old  Waterbury  hospital 
buildings  and  grounds  as  an  addition  to  Chase  Park,  in  memory  of  her  mother, 
Martha  Starkweather  Chase. 

One  of  the  largest  and  most  expensive  improvements  in  the  city's  park  system 
was  the  grading  and  loaming  of  the  sand  bank  on  Riverside  Drive. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY       55 

1  luring  191 1  Euclid  Avenue  Park  was  graded,  loamed  and  seeded. 

In  1912  a  new  rustic  bridge  was  built  over  Carrington  Brook  in  the  main 
driveway  in  Hamilton  Park.  The  zoo  was  also  greatly  enlarged,  two  swans  being 
among  the  gifts.  The  athletic  field  was  enlarged,  one  new  double  lawn  tennis 
court  and  one  basketball  field  were  laid  out. 

In  1913  Hamilton  Park  had  become  the  great  breathing  place  of  the  city.  It 
was  in  this  year  that  the  entire  population  seemed  to  regard  it  as  a  playground. 
Thousands  attended  a  very  successful  skating  carnival,  as  well  as  two  municipal 
athletic  meets.  Memorial  Day  exercises  by  the  children  proved  an  attractive 
feature.  The  lawn  tennis  tournaments,  the  baseball  games,  basketball  games,  all 
drew  large  crowds.  These  events  have  become  permanent  and  have  in  the  past 
year  been  more  extensive  than  ever. 

In  19 1 3  a  movement  was  begun  to  replace  the  elms  destroyed  on  The  Green  in 
1910.  In  all  sixteen  elms  were  planted,  of  which  nine  were  donated  to  the  city 
by  George  Tracy.    Eight  additional  elms  were  planted  in  1914. 

The  Chase  Park  Recreation  House  was  renovated  throughout,  furniture  in- 
stalled, and  a  supervisor  placed  in  charge.  The  opportunities  for  recreation 
include  gymnastics,  basketball,  dancing,  reading,  sewing,  etc. 

In  1916  the  Goss  family  presented  the  city  with  eighteen  acres  at  the  east  end  of 
Hamilton  Park,  and  this  addition  is  now  being  improved.  In  1917  the  American 
Brass  Company  gave  the  city  five  acres  adjoining  Hamilton  Park  on  the  south. 
These  gifts  will  in  the  near  future,  when  the  many  improvements  are  completed, 
round  out  Hamilton  Park. 

In  November,  1917,  through  the  agency  of  Lewis  S.  Reed,  of  the  Manu- 
facturers National  Bank,  approximately  a  dozen  small  tracts,  involving  property 
on  the  east  and  west  sides  of  Cooke  Street,  East  Reid  Street  and  adjoining  thor- 
oughfares, was  purchased  and  the  announcement  was  made  that  these  lands  will 
probably  be  the  gift  to  Waterbury  of  a  public-spirited  citizen.  It  is  the  purpose 
of  the  donor  to  create  a  new  city  park. 

The  official  valuation  of  the  park  property  at  the  beginning  of  1916  was 
S(  155,000.  With  the  recent  additions  it  is  now  well  over  the  million  mark.  In 
this  valuation  The  Green  is  placed  at  $510,000. 

THE  LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  GREEN 

The  Green  is  a  civic  treasure  which  is  so  clear  to  our  citizens  that  they  are 
never  able  to  agree  what  shall  be  done  to  it  or  with  it.  Nothing  in  Waterbury 
impresses  the  observant  visitor  as  much  as  this  beautiful  central  park  and  it  is 
justly  the  pride  of  our  citizens  to  maintain  its  fresh  sightliness.  When  it  was 
graded,  fenced  and  planted  with  elm  trees  in  1842  the  work  was  paid  for  by 
public  subscription,  J.  M.  L.  and  W.  H.  Scovill  providing  about  half  of  the  money. 
Seventy  years  afterwards  when  some  of  these  trees  died  some  of  our  citizens 
hastened  to  provide  young  trees  to  succeed  them.  From  1890  to  1910,  when 
.the  elm-leaf  beetle  committed  its  ravages  hereabouts,  the  trees  on  The  Green 
were  at  their  finest,  and  the  long  rows  of  great  elms  presented  vistas  of  great 
charm.    It  is  no  wonder  that  our  people  love  The  Green. 

This  affection  takes  two  forms,  part  of  the  population  desiring  to  add  orna- 
ments or  encumbrances  to  The  Green  and  the  remainder  being  anxious  to  keep 
it  free  of  everything  but  grass  and  trees.  Mayor  Kilduff  must  be  placed  in  the 
latter  class  for  in  1902  he  summarily  removed  and  banished  to  Hamilton  Park 
the  wooden  band-stand  which  had  stood  for  ten  years,  and  which  had  had  several 
predecessors.     Mr.  Kilduff  pronounced  it  to  be  "the  last  relic  of  a  jay  town" 


56  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

and  forthwith  the  proper  authorities  saw  that  it  went.  While  it  stood  there  band 
concerts  were  held  on  The  Green  regularly  during  the  summer  in  most  years  and 
as  the  population  of  the  city  grew,  the  attendance  ran  up  into  the  thousands  so 
that  it  was  impossible  for  everybody  to  keep  on  the  walks  and  the  grass  plots 
suffered.    This  is  what  led  to  the  removal  of  the  band-stand. 

The  original  suggestion  for  the  Soldiers'  Monument  was  made  in  an  editorial 
in  the  Waterbury  American  on  November  26,  1870,  and  was  occasioned  by  the 
overthrow  by  the  wind  of  a  ship's  mast  which  did  duty  as  a  liberty  pole.  It  stood 
almost  in  the  same  location  as  the  present  steel  flagstaff.  The  editor  of  the 
American  expressed  satisfaction  at  the  removal  of  "the  unsightly  mast  that  had 
swayed  in  the  wind  so  long"  and  expressed  a  hope  that  "some  work  of  art — a 
monument  or  a  fountain — which  shall  be  a  real  ornament  to  The  Green"  would 
be  erected  in  its  stead.  A  series  of  articles  followed,  which  eventually  resulted 
in  the  erection,  fourteen  years  later,  of  the  monument.  However,  when  its  site 
was  selected,  the  feeling  that  The  Green  should  not  be  encumbered  helped  to 
determine  its  location  at  the  west  end  of  The  Green  instead  of  upon  it  and  at 
the  center. 

The  only  adornment  (or  encumbrance)  placed  upon  The  Green  in  the  last 
twenty-five  years  is  the  handsome  granite  clock  tower  erected  through  the  efforts 
of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  the  Waterbury  Republican.  This  was  dedicated 
on  November  25,  191 5,  in  "Old  Home  Week." 

The  clock  was  wholly  the  idea  of  Charles  A.  Colley,  then  president  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  who  had  been  talking  up  the  project  for  more  than  a 
year.  To  arouse  public  interest  he  wrote  a  playlet  produced  at  a  benefit  perform- 
ance at  Fox's  Theater,  now  The  Strand,  which  netted  $150,  as  a  nucleus  for  the 
fund.  The  plan  met  with  some  opposition  on  the  ground  that  no  further  monu- 
ments should  be  placed  on  The  Green.  To  prove  that  his  idea  was  popular,  Mr. 
Colley  went  around  asking  likely  prospects  to  subscribe  a  little,  usually  five 
dollars.  When  he  got  five  $5.00  subscriptions  in  a  day,  he  called  it  a  day's  work 
and  quit.  Thus  the  fund  grew  slowly  but  persistently  until  it  approached  $2,000. 
Then  Mr.  Colley  electrified  the  community  by  announcing  a  gift  of  $2,500  from 
Truman  S.  Lewis  to  complete  the  clock  fund.  Violent  thunderstorms  ensued  with 
efforts  to  prevent  the  erection  of  the  clock,  but  Mr.  Colley  had  already  secured 
authorization  from  the  city  and  having  a  good  part  of  the  public  behind  him 
defied  opposition  so  that  the  work  proceeded.  On  its  completion  its  opponents 
found  that  the  result  was  much  more  satisfactory  than  they  anticipated  though 
they  still  regret  the  loss  of  the  flower  bed  which  it  had  abolished. 

The  135-foot  steel  flag  pole  which  was  presented  to  the  city  during  "Old  Home 
Week,"  by  George  Tracy  who  collected  the  $600.00  necessary  for  this,  met  with 
no  such  opposition  as  Mr.  Colley  had  encountered,  some  of  the  opponents  of  the 
clock  subscribing  to  the  fund  to  show  that  they  did  not  object  to  a  flag-staff  on  The 
Green.  An  American  flag  of  the  largest  size  regularly  made,  twenty  by  thirty  feet, 
is  hoisted  on  special  occasions ;  a  smaller  flag  is  for  ordinary  use. 

On. Christmas  Day,  1916,  the  large  flag  was  hoisted.  A  very  high  wind  was 
blowing  that  afternoon  and  it  was  found  later  that  the  strain  had  sprung  the 
top  mast  of  the  pole.  Mr.  Tracy  had  this  section  taken  down  and  shipped  back 
to  the  makers,  John  Simmons  &  Sons  of  New  York,  who  generously  replaced 
it  with  a  much  stronger  top  mast  which  was  hoisted  into  place  in  the  spring  of  191 7. 
It  is  guaranteed  to  withstand  the  strongest  wind. 

The  late  Elisha  Leavenworth  in  his  will  left  $15,000  for  a  monument  of  Benja- 
min Franklin  which  will  be  unveiled  in  1918. 

The  last  article  in  his  will  was  as  follows : 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  57 

"]  further  direct  that  said  Executors  (Edwin  S.  Hunt  and  John  R.  Clayton), 
immediately  make  to  the  City  of  Waterbury  a  formal  offer  to  erect  on  the  westerly 
end  of  the  Public  Square  or  'Green'  in  said  City,  a  statue  to  Benjamin  Franklin, 
with  such  necessary  surroundings,  railings  and  pavement  as  to  them,  my  Executors, 
shall  seem  wise  and  proper,  and  to  expend  for  the  purpose  a  sum  not  to  exceed 
$15,000;  I  further  direct  that  in  the  event  that  the  authorized  officers  of  the 
City  of  Waterbury  shall  not  give  such  consent  within  one  year  after  the  receipt 
of  such  proposition,  said  Executors  are  directed  to  turn  said  amount  into  the 
residuary  fund,  and  immediately  and  forthwith  close  up  this  estate." 

Mr.  Leavenworth  in  his  lifetime  discussed  this  bequest  with  Edwin  S.  Hunt, 
one  of  his  executors,  and  suggested  that  a  committee  of  citizens  have  the  selection 
of  the  statue  in  charge. 

With  this  in  mind  the  following  committee  was  appointed  to  select  the  sculptor 
and  to  arrange  for  the  site  and  all  details  connected  with  the  erection  and  unveil- 
ing :  J.  Hobart  Bronson,  chairman ;  C.  P.  Goss ;  Rev.  Charles  A.  Dinsmore,  D.  D. ; 
J.  Richard  Smith;  H.  S.  Chase;  Otis  Northrop;  Mark  L.  Sperry;  Miss  Alice  E. 
Kingsbury  ;  and  Miss  Florentine  H.  Hayden. 

This  committee  in  191 3  selected  Paul  Wayland  Bartlett  as  the  sculptor,  a 
choice  that  was  not  alone  governed  by  the  fame  that  Mr.  Bartlett's  many  noted 
works  had  brought  him,  but  by  the  fact  that  he  was  a  native  of  Waterbury,  while 
his  father,  Truman  Howe  Bartlett,  was  himself  a  distinguished  sculptor  and  did 
some  'prentice  work  here  before  he  was  able  to  study  abroad.  He  himself  had  been 
named  after  a  noted  citizen  of  Waterbury. 

Paul  Wayland  Bartlett  was  born  in  1865.  He  essayed  sculpture  as  a  boy, 
exhibiting  at  the  age  of  fourteen  in  the  Salon  at  Paris  a  bust  of  his  grand- 
mother. In  1887  he  won  a  medal  at  Paris  with  his  famous  "Bear  Tamer,"  now  in 
the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art,  New  York.  In  1900  at  the  Paris  exposition, 
he  represented  the  United  States  on  the  International  Jury  of  Awards  for  Sculp- 
ture. In  1908  he  was  made  an  officer  of  the  Legion  of  Honor,  having  been  named 
a  Chevalier  in  1895.  His  principal  works  are:  statue  of  General  Joseph  Warren, 
Boston;  equestrian  statue  of  Lafayette,  in  the  square  of  the  Louvre,  Paris,  the 
gift  to  France  from  the  school  children  of  the  United  States ;  statues  of  Columbus 
and  Michel  Angelo,  in  Congressional  Library,  Washington  ;  a  door  for  the  tomb 
of  Senator  Clark  in  Woodlawn  Cemetery;  six  statues  on  the  front  of  the  New 
York  Public  Library ;  pediment  over  house  wing  of  the  Capitol,  Washington. 
He  is  represented  in  all  the  leading  museums  and  academies  of  design  by  either 
original  work  or  replicas. 

Mr.  Bartlett,  whose  studio  was  in  Paris,  as  soon  as  terms  had  been  agreed 
upon,  prepared  a  small  model,  showing  Benjamin  Franklin  as  philosopher  and 
diplomat,  and  this  was  exhibited  in  the  rooms  of  the  Mattatuck  Historical  Society. 

The  local  comment  was  favorable,  although  there  were  many  who  believed 
that  Franklin  should  have  been  shown  as  a  young  man,  but  this  was  a  matter 
which  the  committee  left  entirely  to  the  artist,  feeling  that  the  statue  was  to  an 
extent  an  inspiration,  and  it  was  not  long  until  the  consensus  of  opinion  here 
favored  the  work  the  sculptor  had  shown. 

In  the  meantime,  the  war  had  broken  out  and  the  shipment  to  America  of 
the  large  clay  model  from  which  the  cast  was  to  be  made  was  prohibited,  coming 
under  the  list  of  articles  barred  by  the  government  from  use  of  shipping. 

Mr.  Bartlett  then  removed  his  studio  to  Washington  and  began  work  at  once 
on  an  entirely  new  model,  clinging,  however,  to  the  conception  of  the  aged  sage, 
but  greatly  changing  and  improving  the  plan  of  the  work.  It  is  now  nearly  ready 
for  casting  and  he  announces  that  it  will  be  unveiled  in  1918. 


58  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

The  question  of  a  site  has  been  under  consideration  for  over  a  year.  By  the 
will  of  Mr.  Leavenworth  the  "westerly  end  of  The  Green"  was  specifically  des- 
ignated. This  was  in  view  of  the  old  Leavenworth  homestead  being  on  West 
Main  Street,  and  thus  there  were  considerations  of  a  tender  nature  that  inclined 
the  members  to  carry  out  the  bequest  literally. 

But  there  has  always  been  a  feeling  in  Waterbury  among  those  who  have  an 
eye  for  landscape  work  that  The  Green  was  not  a  suitable  site  for  either  clocks 
or  statuary,  but  that  it  was  designed  to  be  a'  beautiful  grass  plot  with  walks  and 
flower  beds,  and  old  trees.  It  is  quite  certain  that  in  time  The  Green  will  be 
practically  surrounded  by  mercantile  establishments.  Furthermore,  it  is  impossible 
to  give  a  beautiful  statue  the  proper  setting  in  so  small  a  park. 

The  committee  has  therefore  decided  to  place  the  statue  in  Library  Park, 
where  it  will  be  part  of  what  is  even  now  considered  the  civic  center  of  Waterbury. 

Another  proposed  addition  to  The  Green  which  has  aroused  very  mixed  senti- 
ments is  the  erection  of  a  public  comfort  station  at  the  east  end  of  The  Green. 
This  project  took  shape  after  the  destruction  of  the  old  City  Hall,  which  as  re- 
modeled contained  such  an  institution,  though  the  fire  forestalled  its  opening, 
and  it  was  never  used.  After  successive  administrations  had  been  under  siege 
by  both  the  opponents  and  advocates  of  the  station  for  several  years,  an  appropria- 
tion of  $25,000  for  the  purpose  was  made  in  19 17  but  the  high  construction  costs 
that  prevailed  in  the  succeeding  year  made  it  impossible  to  build  it  within  the 
appropriation  much  to  the  delight  of  those  who  were  threatening  injunction  pro- 
ceedings.   The  money  remains  in  the  city  treasury  awaiting  further  decision. 

The  Welton  Fountain,  erected  at  the  east  end  of  The  Green  in  1888,  by  the 
Caroline  J.  Welton  estate,  was  a  kindly  thought  born  of  Miss  Welton's  life-long 
love  of  horses.  But  this,  alas,  is  an  age  of  gasoline!  For  many  years  there  was 
a  hackstand  on  North  Main  Street,  south  of  the  fountain,  while  humble  transfer 
wagons,  drawn  by  even  humbler  steeds,  rested  at  the  curb  to  the  north  while 
waiting  for  custom.  Automobiles  and  auto-trucks  have  almost  completely  dis- 
placed the  horse-drawn  vehicles  except  for  certain  heavy  freight  duty  and  it  is 
rarely  now  that  a  horse  gets  a  drink  from  the  Welton  Fountain.  Sentiment  would 
prevent  converting  it  into  a  gasoline  filling  station  which  would  be  more  useful 
in  these  degenerate  days.  On  this  account,  there  was  a  movement  in  19 17  to  re- 
move the  fountain  to  the  west  end  of  Library  Park  on  the  plaza  of  the  Union 
Station  where  it  would  serve  many  hard-working  beasts  which  are  still  traveling 
to  and  from  the  freight  yards.  At  the  end  of  the  year  the  change  seemed  a  prob- 
ability of  the  near  future. 

waterbury's  cemeteries 

Riverside  Cemetery,  which  is  the  oldest  of  Waterbury's  burial  places,  was 
founded  in  the  year  of  the  organization  of  the  city  and  while  its  acreage  was 
considerably  enlarged  before  1893,  there  have  been  no  additions  made  since  that 
time.  Now,  however,  more  room  is  needed  and  land  is  to  be  acquired  at  an 
early  date. 

By  the  death  of  S.  W.  Hall,  March  5,  1877,  the  association  became  the  recipient 
of  a  bequest  of  $20,000,  to  be  expended  in  the  erection  of  a  memorial  chapel 
"for  the  use  of  funerals  and  for  funeral  services."  This  fund  was  allowed  to 
accumulate  until  it  amounted  to  $25,000,  and  the  chapel  was  built  in  1884  and 
1885  from  designs  prepared  by  R.  W.  Hill.  The  chapel  was  dedicated  June  n, 
1885.  Addresses  were  made  by  the  Revs.  Drs.  Rowland  and  Anderson,  and  the 
dedicatory  prayer  was  offered  by  the  Rev.  J.  L.  Peck.     The  other  services  were 


CLOCK   OX  THE  (iKKEX.  WATERBURY 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY       59 

conducted  by  other  Protestant  clergymen  of  the  city  and  the  hymns  and  anthems 
were  sung  by  a  chorus  selected  from  the  several  church  choirs.  In  1893  the 
chapel  was  repaired  and  thoroughly  renovated,  and  the  spire  entirely  rebuilt  at 
a  cost  of  $5,000.  The  expense  was  assumed  by  J.  S.  Elton  and  Airs.  C.  X.  Way- 
land,  in  accordance  with  the  wishes  of  their  mother,  Mrs.  Olive  M.  Elton. 

It  was  agreed,  when  the  by-laws  were  adopted,  that  "all  moneys  accruing 
from  sales  of  lots  should  be  expended  in  the  purchase  and  improvement  of  the 
ground."  A  price  was  affixed  to  the  lots  "so  moderate  as  to  be  within  reach  of 
the  humblest  means,"  and  it  was  hoped  that  this  would  ''afford  a  sufficient  sum 
to  secure  adequate  protection  and  attention  for  the  grounds."  But  this  expecta- 
tion has  not  been  realized,  and  from  the  beginning  the  trustees  have  been  dependent 
on  the  gifts  of  persons  specially  interested  in  the  cemetery  to  carry  on  necessary 
work.  For  several  years  after  it  was  opened,  fairs  were  held  in  its  behalf,  and 
specific  subscriptions  of  considerable  sums  have  been  received  from  time  to  time 
for  special  purposes.  The  association  has  received  individual  gifts  for  permanent 
investments  amounting  to  over  $20,000.    A  special  charter  was  obtained  in  1886. 

The  total  number  of  interments  from  the  opening  of  the  cemetery  to  the  date 
of  the  annual  meeting,  in  1895.  was  4,278.  To  November  1,  1917  there  have 
been  7,799  interments  in  Riverside  Cemetery  since  it  was  first  opened.  In  1895 
James  S.  Elton  was  elected  president  and  X.  J.  Welton  secretary  and  treasurer. 
The  trustees  were  as  follows :  J.  R.  Smith,  N.  D.  Granniss,  Elisha  Leavenworth, 
E.  L.  Frisbie,  J.  S.  Elton,  F.  J.  Kingsbury,  N.  J.  Welton. 

The  present  trustees  are  James  S.  Elton,  Otis  S.  Northrop,  F.  W.  Judson, 
G.  C.  Hill.  J.  Richard  Smith,  A.  J.  Smith,  F.  S.  Chase.  Its  president  is  James 
S.  Elton ;  secretary,  Fletcher  W.  Judson.  The  latter  succeeded  to  the  position 
of  secretary,  treasurer  and  superintendent  on  the  death  of  Mr.  Welton  in  191 7. 

The  custodian  of  the  grounds  is  Henry  M.  Begnal,  who  succeeded  his  father 
on  the  death  of  the  latter. 

st.  Joseph's  cemeteries,  old  and  new.  and  calvary  cemetery 

St.  Joseph's  cemeteries,  both  old  and  new,  on  Hamilton  Avenue,  have  not 
been  enlarged  in  the  past  twenty-five  years.  The  old  cemetery  which  contains 
about  twenty  acres  was  bought  in  1837  by  Father  Hendricken  and  the  new  cemetery 
was  bought  in  1893  by  Monsignor  Slocum  and  consists  of  twenty-four  acres, 
located  at  Hamilton  Avenue  and  Pearl  Lake  Road. 

Calvary  Cemetery  on  East  Main  Street  on  the  Cheshire  Road,  comprises  about 
sixty-seven  acres.  In  1885,  the  Rev.  Wm.  A.  Harty  purchased  fifty-three  acres, 
and  the  Rev.  John  A.  Mulcahy,  the  remainder  in  August  of  1891.  It  was  con- 
secrated by  the  Rev.  Michael  Tierney  on  May  24th,  1894,  the  sermon  on  the 
occasion  being  preached  by  the  Rev.  James  F.  O'Donnell,  of  Watertown. 

The  three  cemeteries  belong  to  the  Immaculate  Conception  Parish,  and  the 
superintendent  is  the  head  of  the  parish,  Rev.  Father  Fitzsimons,  but  they  are 
for  the  use  of  the  entire  Catholic  community. 

PINE   GROVE    CEMETERY 

Pine  Grove  Cemetery,  which  was  established  in  the  Mill  Plain  District  in  1854 
was  greatly  extended  in  April,  1898,  by  the  purchase  of  ground  extending  through 
to  the  Southmayd  Road  making  in  all  twenty  acres  of  burial  ground.  It  was 
incorporated  in  January.  1887.  Its  founders  were  :  Milo  Sacket,  Leonard  Warner. 
James  Porter,  Mark  Warner,  Edward  Scott,  Jesse  J.  Dooliltle,  Levinus  Warner, 
Leonard  Hall,  Charles  Frost,  Gaylord  Alcott,  Merrit  Scott. 


60  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

The  trustees  of  the  association  for  the  year  1917  are :  Warren  B.  Hitchcock, 
Edson  A.  Hitchcock,  Mark  L.  Warner,  Theodore  Munson,  George  C.  Walker, 
Arthur  E.  Blewitt,  Miss  Fannie  H.  Porter. 

WATERVILLE  CEMETERY 

The  land  embraced  in  the  original  Waterville  Cemetery,  which  lies  on  the  hill 
just  east  of  the  main  road,  has  twice  been  extended  in  the  past  quarter  century 
and  now  comprises  several  acres.  It  was  originally  laid  out  for  sixty-four  lots, 
on  ground  deeded  by  Daniel  E.  Sprague  and  Anson  Downes.  In  19 16,  the  ceme- 
tery, which  had  been  enlarged  by  an  additional  acreage  a  decade  before,  made 
an  arrangement  with  the  Chase  Metal  Works  by  which  its  main  street  front 
was  traded  to  that  company  for  an  adequate  strip  of  land  on  the  other  side  of 
the  cemetery  on  Fort  Hill  Avenue. 

The  present  officers  are :  Fred  Jackson,  president ;  Thomas  Burton,  secretary, 
and  Horace  Garrigus,  director  and  in  charge  of  the  cemetery. 

FOUR   JEWISH    CEMETERIES 

There  are  now  four  Jewish  cemeteries  in  Waterbury.  The  oldest  of  these 
belongs  to  what  is  known  as  the  "Reform"  Congregation,  and  is  known  as  Melchi- 
zedek  Cemetery  on  the  Cheshire  Road.  This  was  bought  in  1875.  In  the  last 
decade  the  two  O.  B.  O.  lodges,  Brass  City  and  Gladstone,  opened  a  joint  burial 
place  on  the  Wolcott  Road.  Later  cemeteries  were  opened  in  the  same  district 
by  the  Waterbury  Hebrew  Benefit  Association  Xo.  1,  and  Waterbury  Star  Lodge, 
I.  O.  B.  A. 

THE  TOWN'S  CEMETERY 

What  was  known  as  the  Town's  Cemetery,  comprising  three  acres  near  River- 
side, which  had  been  used  for  the  burial  of  the  poor  for  two  decades,  was  closed 
in  191 1.  The  fence  around  it  was  removed  and  the  acreage  was  added  to  Chase 
Park.  It  remains  as  it  was  in  that  year.  Burials  of  the  poor  are  now  made  in 
the  various  cemeteries  of  the  city. 


CHAPTER  VI 
SCHOOLS,  LIBRARY  AND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

GROWTH  IN  SCHOOL  POPULATION — TWO  IMPORTANT  CHANGES  IN  SCHOOL  GOVERN- 
MENT— ITS  NEW  MODEL  HIGH  AND  GRAMMAR  SCHOOL  STRUCTURES — OUTSIDE 
SCHOOL  DISTRICTS  INCLUDED EVENING  SCHOOLS — MEDICAL  INSPECTION — MAN- 
UAL     TRAINING  —  PLAYGROUNDS  —  SALESMANSHIP       SCHOOL CONTINUATION 

SCHOOL — VOCATIONAL  SCHOOL— VALUE  AND  EXTENT  OF  SCHOOL  PROPERTY — PRI- 
VATE AND  PAROCHIAL  SCHOOLS DAVID  G.   PORTER  BEQUEST LIBRARY   AND   MA'l- 

TATUCK  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

On  September  i,  IQI7,  the  beginning  of  the  present  school  year,  there  were 
enrolled  in  the  public  and  private  schools  of  Waterbury  22^053  pupils.  Of  these 
16,833  attended  the  public  schools  and  6,120  the  parochial  and  other  private 
schools.  The  school  census  enumeration  of  children  between  the  ages  of  four 
and  sixteen  was  26,419.  This  was  a  gain  of  2,418  over  the  enumeration  of  the 
previous  year,  while  the  enrollment  shows  a  gain  of  1,890. 

The  total  number  of  children  in  the  district  in  1893,  the  beginning  of  the 
quarter  century,  was  8,475. 

The  superintendent  of  schools,  in  his  report  for  1893,  made  the  following 
general  statement  in  regard  to  the  schoolhouses  of  the  Center  District:  "AH 
the  buildings  now  in  use,  fourteen  in  number,  have  been  erected  within  the  last 
twenty-two  years.  They  contain  eighty-four  school  rooms,  and  some  have  recita- 
tion rooms  in  addition.  They  are  substantially  built,  are  in  good  repair,  and  afford 
ready  egress  in  case  of  fire.  Two  of  them,  the  Bank  Street  and  the  Clay  Street 
buildings,  are  excellent  in  design  and  will  compare  favorably  with  any  other  school 
buildings  in  the  state  in  the  same  grade." 

The  annual  report  for  the  year  ending  Octqbej^i^i894,  showed  that  there  were 
fifteen  school  buildings  in  use  in  the  district. \The  number ^LsHTool-rooms^TnTlSe-- 
was  ninety-three,  and  the  number  of  teachers,  including  assistants,  was  120. 
The  total  number  of  boys  registered  during  1893  was  3,145,  and  of  girls,  2,902, 
making  a  total  of  6,047, — an  increase  of  375  over  the  previous  year.  This  was 
exclusive  of  pupils  in  the  evening  schools.  The  total  number  registered  in  the 
evening  schools,  was  814.  The  average  attendance  at  the  evening  schools  declined 
from  495  in  November,  1893,  to  254  m  February.  1894,  and  114  in  March.  The 
number  of  pupils  in  attendance  at  the  day  schools  during  the  spring  term  of  1895 
was  5,289.  The  following  table  will  serve  to  show  not  only  how  they  were  dis- 
posed of,  but  the  number  and  the  location,  approximately,  of  the  schools  of  the 
district  in  1895.  (Under  "high  school"'  are  included  temporary  accommodations 
in  the  Moriarty  block.)  k 

High    School T,I34      Last   Main  Street 197 

Elm  Street 490      Ridge    Street 356 

Clay  Street 389      Hillside    Avenue 118 

Bank  Street 651      Sperry    Street 324 

Bishop    Street 432      Locust  Street 383 

Porter  Street 315      Dublin  Street 117 

Washington    262      Westside    11  ill 141 

61 


62  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

During  the  winter  term,  1893-94,  the  number  of  pupils  in  the  high  school 
proper  was  191.  Of  this  number,  thirty-eight  graduated  and  a  few  left  the  school 
to  enter  employment.  The  number  of  grammar  school  scholars  who  passed 
examination  for  admission  was  no,  making  the  number  at  the  summer  term  252. 
These  were  packed  into  quarters  originally  designed  for  only  114.  In  several 
other  rooms  the  condition  reported  was  almost  as  bad,  but  in  some  of  them  at 
least  temporary  relief  was  obtained  by  additions  to  the  buildings  or  the  securing 
of  rooms  elsewhere  to  take  care  of  the  overflow.  At  the  district  meeting  held 
May  9,  1895,  it  was  voted  to  erect  a  new  high  school  building  at  a  cost  of  $100,000, 
and  to  enlarge  the  Bishop  Street  and  Bank  Street  schools  at  an  expense  of  $30,000 
additional.  The  expenses  of  the  district  during  the  year  1894  were  nearly 
$150,000,  of  which  the  largest  items  were,  for  Salaries  $80,000  and  new  buildings, 
repairs,  etc.,  about  $16,000. 

Until  1899  the  charter  as  amended  in  1880  and  1895  governed  in  school 
matters,  and  the  following  excerpts  from  two  sections  of  that  document  describe 
succinctly  the  methods  by  which  the  controlling  power  was  elected  and  by  which 
taxation  for  school  purposes  was  levied. 

"Said  Center  School  District  shall  annually,  on  the  first  Monday  of  October, 
choose  by  ballot  a  district  committee  consisting  of  five  persons,  a  board  of  educa- 
tion consisting  of  seven  persons,  a  treasurer,  two  auditors  and  a  clerk ;  no  person 
shall  hold  more  than  one  of  said  offices,  and  all  of  said  officers  shall  be  residents 
and  legal  voters  of  said  Center  School  District. 

"Said  district  committee  shall  have  the  general  care  and  management  of  the 
concerns  of  said  district;  enumerate  and  make  return  of  the  scholars  at  the  time 
and  in  the  manner  provided  by  law  for  other  school  districts ;  employ  teachers 
approved  by  the  board  of  education ;  make  a  list  of  the  polls  and  ratable  estate  of 
all  the  inhabitants  in  said  district  whenever  it  becomes  necessary,  for  the  purpose 
of  taxation ;  shall  exercise  control  over  the  expenditures  of  all  moneys  belonging 
to  said  district ;  make  all  contracts  for  furnishing  of  supplies,  building  and 
repairing  of  schoolhouses,  and,  with  the  concurrence  of  the  board  of  education, 
abate  such  taxes  as,  in  their  judgment,  ought  to  be  abated." 

On  June  20,  1899,  the  first  notable  change  in  the  government  of  the  schools 
was  effected  by  act  of  the  Legislature.  By  it,  the  boundaries  of  the  city  were 
fixed  as  those  of  the  Center  School  District.  The  name  Center  School  District 
was  abolished.  The  law  then  ordains  that  "said  new  department  of  education 
shall  be  under  the  control  of  the  board  of  education,  consisting  of  the  mayor, 
who  shall  be  ex  officio  chairman,  and  seven  members,  who  shall  be  elected  bienni- 
ally at  the  meetings  of  said  city  for  the  election  of  officers ;  and  for  this  purpose 
separate  ballots  shall  be  provided  in  the  several  voting  places  in  said  city.  The 
terms  of  office  of  said  members  shall  begin  on  the  first  Monday  of  January 
next  following  their  election,  and  the  provisions  of  the  charter  of  said  city  in 
relation  to  the  powers  and  duties  of  city  officers  shall  apply  to  said  members." 

It  further  provided  that  the  board  of  education  "shall  have  the  entire  charge 
and  direction  of  all  the  public  schools  of  said  district,  and  of  the  expenditure  of 
all  moneys  appropriated  for  the  support  of  the  same." 

On  the  matter  of  taxation,  it  provided  that  "the  treasurer  of  the  city  shall 
receive  the  amount  of  school  money  to  which  the  district  is  entitled  from  the 
school  moneys  of  the  state,  from  the  Town  of  Waterbury,  from  state  appropria- 
tions for  school  purposes,  from  gifts,  and  from  the  tax  laid  within  the  district 
for  school  purposes,  which  moneys  shall  be  subject  to  the  order  of  the  board  of 
education  under  such  rules  and  regulations  as  the  board  of  finance  may  from 
time  to  time  establish.     The  board  of  education  shall  submit  to  the  board  of 


THE  DRIGGS  SCHOOL,  WATERBURY 


THK   WEBSTER  SCHOOL.  WATKRBURY 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY       63 

finance  of  the  city,  at  the  time  fixed  by  law  for  the  submission  of  the  estimates 
of  other  departments  of  said  city,  a  detailed  estimate  of  its  expenses  for  the 
next  year  for  which  the  appropriations  for  city  purposes  are  by  law  required 
to  be  made,  specifying  separately  the  sums  needed  for  current  and  for  special 
expenses,  but  no  tax  shall  be  laid  upon  any  property  lying  outside  of  the  present 
limits  of  the  City  of  Waterbury  and  within  the  limits  of  said  city  as  hereby 
established  at  a  rate  exceeding  one-half  of  the  rate  of  taxation  upon  property 
lying  within  the  present  limits  of  said  city." 

This  was  at  least  a  partial  consolidation  of  school  and  city  governments,  but 
the  amended  charter  of  1901  made  complete  consolidation  depend  upon  the  wishes 
of  voters  in  the  districts.  For  the  purpose  of  giving  a  clear  idea  of  what  seems 
a  complicated  method  of  taxation,  the  two  clauses  of  the  amended  charter  are 
quoted  quite  fully : 

"Said  City  of  Waterbury,  on  and  after  said  date,  shall  be  divided  into  two 
districts.  The  first  district  shall  comprise  all  the  territory  of  said  city,  and  the 
second  district  shall  comprise  all  the  territory  that  lay  within  the  limits  of  said 
city  as  the  same  existed  on  the  first  day  of  January,  1901,  excepting  that  all  that 
territory  lying  east  of  the  City  Mills  Pond,  so  called,  and  Great  Brook,  and  which, 
with  other  territory  of  the  Bucks  Hill  School  District,  was  annexed  to  the  Center 
School  District  of  Waterbury,  by  the  General  Assembly  at  its  January  session, 
1899,  is  hereby  restored  to  the  said  Bucks  Hill  School  District  and  is  made  a  por- 
tion of  said  first  district. 

"All  the  inhabitants  and  property  within  the  limits  of  the  first  district  shall 
be  liable  to  taxation  to  defray  the  burdens  and  expenses  imposed  upon  said  city 
by  this  act,  to  the  same  extent  as  they  would  have  been  liable  if  said  burdens,  ex- 
penses, duties  and  powers  had  not  been  transferred  from  said  town  to  said  city ;  and 
in  addition  thereto  for  the  expenses  for  the  support  of  schools  within  that  part  of 
said  first  district  lying  outside  the  limits  of  said  second  district,  to  the  same  extent 
that  the  said  town  may  now  be  liable,  and  for  the  expenditures  by  the  Board  of 
Health  of  said  city  (exclusive  of  the  expenditures  for  the  collection  and  removal 
of  garbage),  and  police  protection  outside  of  said  second  district,  and  the  expense 
of,  less  receipts  from,  criminal  prosecutions,  which  expense  shall  be  ascertained 
and  determined  by  the  comptroller;  and  all  other  burdens  and  expenses  of  said 
city,  including  the  support  and  maintenance  of  schools  within  the  limits  of  said 
second  district,  shall  be  met  by  taxation  levied  upon  the  inhabitants  and  property 
within  the  limits  of  the  second  district;  and  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  assessors 
and  Board  of  Relief  of  said  city  to  indicate  in  the  compilation  of  the  grand  list 
what  is  taxable  by  said  city  in  each  of  the  said  districts ;  and  the  public  money 
derived  from  the  taxation  of  the  inhabitants  and  property  of  the  second  district 
exclusively  shall  not  be  expended  for  any  purpose  for  which  the  money  of  said 
city  could  not  lawfully  be  expended  at  the  time  of  the  passage  of  this  act;  pro- 
vided, however,  that  the  property  lying  outside  of  the  limits  of  the  City  of  Water- 
bury, as  established  by  the  General  Assembly  of  1895,  an^  within  the  limits  of 
the  second  district  as  established  by  this  act,  shall  be  taxed  to  meet  its  propor- 
tionate share  for  the  support  and  maintenance  of  schools  within  said  second  dis- 
trict, but  for  all  other  burdens  and  expenses  of  the  said  second  district  it  shall  be 
taxed  at  a  rate  not  exceeding  one-half  of  that  necessary  to  be  levied  upon  the 
remaining  property  within  said  district  in  meeting  snch  burdens  and  expenses." 

It  also  provided  that  "the  several  school  districts  of  the  Town  of  Waterbury, 
outside  of  said  second  district,  shall  continue  to  remain  as  school  districts  with 
the  same  territorial  limits,  rights,  powers,  and  obligations  as  now  existing  with 
the  exception  as  set  forth  in  section  seven  of  this  act    (before  quoted)   and  the 


64  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

obligations  now  imposed  upon  the  Town  of  Waterbury,  with  respect  to  the  sup- 
port of  schools  outside  of  said  second  district,  are  hereby  imposed  upon  said  City 
of  Waterbury  and  shall  be  an  expense  incurred  by  and  chargeable  to  the  first 
district  hereinbefore  described." 

It  also  provided  that  "Whenever  twenty-five  electors,  residing  in  any  one  of 
said  school  districts,  shall  petition  the  Board  of  Aldermen  of  said  city  that  the 
school  district  within  which  they  reside  may  be  brought  under  the  full  jurisdiction 
of  the  second  district  heretofore  described,  said  Board  of  Aldermen,  after  due 
hearing,  shall  fix  a  day  on  which  all  legal  voters  residing  within  the  limits  of  said 
school  district  may  vote  upon  the  question  whether  they  are  in  favor  of  or 
opposed  to  said  petition." 

It  was  fourteen  years  before  the  first  outside  school  district  availed  itself  of 
its  privileges  under  this  law.  In  January,  191 5,  Town  Plot  was  the  first  district 
to  vote  itself  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Waterbury  Board  of  Education.  The 
Sprague  (Waterville)  district  and  the  Mill  Plain  district  voted  themselves  in  in 
January,  1916.    The  Bunker  Hill  district  came  in  on  November  1,  191 7. 

Those  still  operating  as  distinct  school  districts  are  Reidville  and  East  Farms, 
which  had  formerly  been  one  district,  East  Mountain,  Bucks  Hill,  Hopeville,  Park 
Road,  and  Oronoke,  the  latter  two  also  a  division  of  one  former  district. 

The  last  school  board  under  the  old  law  was  as  follows : 

Board  of  Education :  A.  A.  Crane,  chairman ;  George  H.  Cowell,  John  D. 
Freney,  Thomas  J.  Kilmartin,  Charles  S.  Rodman.  George  W.  Russell,  Eugene 
A.  Pendleton. 

District  Committee:  A.  I.  Goodrich,  chairman;  Michael  J.  Byrne,  Timothy  J. 
Carmody,  Otis  S.  Northrop,  Edward  T.  Root. 

Treasurer,  John  Meyer ;  treasurer  sinking  fund,  John  W.  Burns ;  auditors, 
John  J.  Dawson,  Daniel  M.  Davis;  clerk,  T.  J.  Moran ;  superintendent  of 
schools,  Berlin  W.  Tinker. 

The  first  Board  of  Education  under  the  amended  charter  was  as  follows: 

Hon.  E.  G.  Kilduff,  mayor,  chairman ;  Charles  S.  Chapman,  George  H.  Cowell, 
Edward  W.  Goodenough,  John  F.  Hayes,  Thomas  J.  Kilmartin,  John  J.  McDon- 
ald, George  W.  Russell.     The  superintendent  was  B.  W.  Tinker. 

From  this  period  on  the  school  growth  was  rapid.  In  1899  the  new  Barnard 
and  Webster  schools,  with  ten  and  twelve  rooms  respectively,  were  opened.  The 
remodeled  Merriman  and  Hendricken  schools  were  also  in  use  practically  as  new 
buildings,  and  the  Driggs  school  was  nearly  ready  for  occupancy. 

The  system  of  furnishing  text  books  free  had  been  introduced  into  the  schools 
in  September,  1895,  and  has  accomplished  all  that  its  supporters  claimed  for  it. 

A  system  of  physical  training  was  inaugurated  in  the  public  schools  of  Water- 
bury in  September,  1896,  and  was  further  extended. 

In  1896  the  new  high  school  on  East  Main  Street  was  opened.  The  site  cost 
the  city  $25,000  and  the  building  complete  cost  approximately  seventy-five  thou- 
sand dollars.  It  was  planned  by  Joseph  A.  Jackson.  It  was  three  stories  in 
height,  with  offices  and  four  class  rooms  on  the  first  floor. 

Across  the  entire  front  on  the  building  on  the  second  floor  were  the  physical 
laboratory,  the  lecture  room,  and  the  chemical  laboratory.  All  these  could  be 
thrown  into  one  large  room  by  means  of  immense  rolling  partitions,'  making  a 
room  ninety-three  feet  long.  The  lecture  room  had  raised  platforms.  Adjoining 
the  chemical  laboratory  was  a  dark  room  with  sink  for  photographic  work.  On 
this  floor  were,  also  a  teachers'  room,  with  lockers,  and  three  large  recitation 
rooms,  also  four  class  rooms,  all  well  lighted,  and  each  with  separate  wardrobes 
for  boys  and  girls. 


CLARK   SCHOOL.  WATERBURY 


BUNKER   HILL   SCHOOL    WATKIMUK Y 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  65 

The  third  tloor  contained  a  fine  large  assembly  hall,  64  feet  by  72  feet,  with 
ceiling  20  feet  in  height.    This  room  was  entirely  clear  of  any  posts  or  obstructions. 
In  the  basement  was  located  the  gymnasium. 

The  exterior  was  designed  somewhat  in  the  colonial  type  of  architecture,  and 
was  built  of  buff  pressed  brick  with  Indiana  limestone  and  terra  cotta  trimmings. 
All  the  rooms  had  fresh  air  supply  ducts,  and  likewise  ducts  for  the  removal 
of  the  vitiated  air.  These  all  connected  with  a  central  main  duct  in  the  basement 
,and  run  to  the  foul  air  gathering  room  at  the  rear,  which  discharged  outside  of 
the  building  by  the  exhaust  fan.    The  building  was  completely  remodeled  later. 

In  June,  kjoo,  the  board  re-established  the  training  school  for  teachers,  with 
Adelaide  V.  Finch  as  principal. 

At  this  period,  1900,  it  was  evident  that  the  city  had  already  outgrown  its 
high  school  capacity.  The  record  of  increase  in  attendance  shows  that  the  school 
had  more  than  doubled  its  attendance. 

No.  of  Pupils 

1896-1897 237 

1897-1898 321.5 

1898-1899 351.2 

1899-1900 436.9 

September,  1900 494 

For  the  year  1901  the  physical  plant  of  the  Waterbury  schools  consisted  of 
eighteen  buildings  with  a  seating  capacity  of  7,532.  During  this  year  the  Walsh 
and  Russell  schools  were  opened,  the  Walsh  School  from  designs  by  Joseph  A. 
Jackson  and  the  Russell  School  from  plans  by  Thomas  M.  Freney. 

The  Walsh  School  building  was  described  in  the  report  of  this  year  as  "located 
between  Ashley  and  Dikeman  streets,  and  fronts  south  looking  towards  Ashley 
Street.  The  building  is  three  stories  in  height,  with  basement,  having  a  frontage 
of  126  feet  and  a  depth  of  67  feet.  The  principal  entrance  to  the  main  floor  is  in 
the  center  of  the  front  through  a  high  arched  entrance  porch.  Other  entrances  to 
the  basement  and  main  floor  are  provided  at  each  end.  The  first  floor  contains 
six  class  rooms  and  principal's  room  and  teachers'  room,  with  toilets,  etc.  The 
main  corridor  on  each  floor  is  twelve  feet  wide  and  runs  the  whole  length  of 
the  building.  The  second  floor  contains  six  class  rooms,  teachers'  room,  recita- 
tion room  and  storage  room.  The  th;rd  floor  contains  six  class  rooms  and  one 
large  recitation  room,  which  can  also  be  used  as  a  class  room  if  needed.  There  is 
also  a  teachers'  room  with  toilets  and  store  room.  In  the  basement  are  two  large 
play  rooms,  one  for  the  boys  and  one  for  the  girls,  also  the  boys'  and  girls'  rooms, 
containing  the  sanitaries.  The  remaining  space  in  the  basement  is  used  for  the 
heating  and  ventilating  apparatus,  coal  and  fuel." 

"The  Russell  School,"  the  report  continues,  "is  two  stones  in  height,  with 
basement  and  attic,  having  a  frontage  on  West  Main  Street  of  eighty-nine  feet, 
and  extending  back  on  Wilson  Street  a  distance  of  eighty-four  feet.  The  main 
entrance  is  on  West  Main  Street,  opening  from  a  porch  with  tiled  floor,  connect- 
ing with  corridor.  There  is  also  an  entrance  to  first  floor  on  the  west  side  of  the 
building  from  the  school  yard.  There  are  marble  stairs  at  each  end  of  the  build- 
ing, leading  from  the  first  floor  to  the  basement  and  from  the  first  to  the  second 
floor.  There  are  two  entrances  to  the  basement."  In  the  building  there  were  at 
the  outset  six  school  rooms.    This  capacity  has  been  greatly  increased. 

In  1903  the  Mulcahy  school,  og-Bakhvirr-Street,  was  opened.  The  building 
was  three  stories  in  height,  not  including  basement;  it  had  a  frontage  of  72 
feet  and  a   depth   of  91    feet.     The  building  had   four   entrances,   one   on   the 

Vol.  1—5 


66  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

front,  one  in  rear,  and  one  on  each  side.  The  basement  contained  play  rooms  for 
both  boys  and  girls,  sanitaries,  engine  room,  fuel  room  and  janitor's  room.  The 
first  floor  contained  four  class  rooms,  principal's  office  with  toilet  and  supply 
room.  The  second  floor  contained  six  class  rooms,  one  recitation  room  and 
teachers'  room  with  toilet.  The  third  floor  contained  six  class  rooms,  recitation 
room  and  teachers'  room  with  toilet. 

This  year,  1903,  the  old  Elm  Street  building  was  condemned  and  abandoned, 
and  plans  made  for  the  new  Margaret  Croft  School. 

The  Sprague  School  at  Waterville  was  remodeled  and  a  large  wing  added. 

In  the  report  of  the  superintendent  for  1904,  the  crowded  condition  of  the 
schools  is  again  emphasized.     He  says : 

"Five  new  rooms  have  been  opened  and  filled,  and  as  soon  as  we  have  the 
funds,  at  least  one  more  room  must  be  opened.  In  September,  1905,  there  will 
be  but  three  unoccupied  rooms  in  the  entire  city  and  it  is  quite  possible  that  these 
may  be  occupied.  The  attendance  for  September,  1904,  has  been  a  record 
breaker,  the  increase,  533,  being  larger  than  that  in  any  city  in  the  state,  and 
probably  larger  than  in  any  city  of  similar  size  in  New  England. 

"There  has  been  no  increase  like  this  within  recent  years,  and  as  far  as  I  can 
see,  there  is  not  likely  to  be  any  immediate  relief.  The  first  grades  throughout 
the  city  are  greatly  overcrowded,  the  room  that  has  less  than  sixty  in  attend- 
ance being  the  exception,  and  many  have  over  sixty-five  pupils.  These  figures 
mean  that  if  we  would  properly  house  these  children,  we  must  still  continue  to 
open  about  eight  new  rooms  each  year.  It  is  surprising  how  evenly  this  increase 
is  spread  over  the  entire  city.  Of  the  thirty-one  schools,  twenty-four  show  an 
increase  and  seven  remain  practically  stationary.  Provision  for  additional  rooms 
to  be  opened  in  September,  1905,  should  be  made  at  the  Webster  School.  Three 
rooms  could  have  been  occupied  in  this  district  this  fall  if  we  had  had  them.  I 
would  recommend  that  an  eight-room  addition  to  this  school  be  built  during  the 
coming  year  and  a  portion  be  ready  for  occupancy  in  September,  1905." 

In  the  enumeration  for  1904,  the  following  schools  showed  large  gains: 
Bishop  and  Driggs,  186;  Lincoln,  56;  Merriman,  102;  Croft,  218;  Bunker  Hill, 
25 ;  Park  Road,  25  ;  Hopeville,  40 ;  Town  Plot,  38. 

The  growth  of  the  city  was  again  apparent  in  the  records  of  1905.  The  regis- 
tration was  9,413,  an  increase  of  697.  The  new  Mill  Plain  School  was  occupied 
and  was  a  model  district  school.  Bunker  Hill  purchased  the  site  for  a  new 
eight-room  building.  Bucks  Hill  started  on  its  new  structure ;  Park  Road  opened 
its  new  four- room  building.  During  1904  and  1905  the  districts  voted  over 
ninety-four  thousand  dollars  for  sites  and  school  buildings. 

In  Waterville,  the  Sprague  School,  later  destroyed  by  fire,  assumed  some- 
thing of  its  present  shape.  The  original  building,  which  was  erected  over  fifty 
years  ago,  served  the  needs  of  the  district  until  1892,  at  which  time  a  two-room 
addition  was  built  to  supply  the  want  of  a  growing  district.  In  1897  it  was  neces- 
sary to  add  two  more  rooms  to  meet  the  increase,  and  six  years  later,  in  1903,  a 
four-room  wing  was  added  to  the  group.  In  1905  it  was  deemed  wise  to  give  up 
the  use  of  the  first  building  for  classroom  needs  and  part  of  it  was  arranged  for 
other  uses,  such  as  principal's  office  and  supply  rooms.  A  new  brick  addi- 
tion, erected  in  1905,  contained  on  the  first  floor  a  kindergarten,  and  on  the  sec- 
ond floor  a  classroom  and  a  principal's  office.    Each  floor  had  roomy  corridors. 

With  the  addition  completed  and  occupied,  the  district  in  1905  had  nine  class- 
rooms and  one  kindergarten  for  the  accommodation  of  the  school  population. 

In  1910  the  Sprague  School  accommodations  were  again  increased  by  the 
addition  of  a  building  containing  three  classrooms,  a  recitation  room  and  a 
library. 


T<y\YX  PLOT  SCHOOL— A  DISTRICT  TYPE  OF  BUILDING— WATERBURY 


THE  WALSH  SCHOOL,  WATERBURY 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  67 

The  new  Margaret  Croft  School,  which  took  the  place  of  the  abandoned  Elm 
Street  School,  was  opened  in  1905.  This  is  three  stories  high  and  the  stairways 
and  landings  were  built  of  reinforced  concrete. 

On  the  first  floor  are  five  classrooms,  each  25  by  28  feet;  a  kindergarten, 

25  by  40,  and  a  principal's  room  1 1  by  25  feet,  complete  with  toilet  and  lavatory. 

The  second  floor  contains  six  classrooms,  a  teacher's  room  with  toilet,  and  a 

library.     The  third  floor  is  a  duplicate  of  the  second,  with  a  supply  room  and 

hospital. 

The  building  is  covered  with  a  flat  roof,  sloping  to  the  center,  from  which  the 
rain  water  is  drained  by  means  of  pipes  extending  down  in  the  interior  of  the 
building,  thus  doing  away  with  dripping  cornices  and  frozen  conductor  pipes. 
The  entrances  for  the  scholars  are  on  opposite  sides  of  the  building,  that  for  the 
girls  being  on  the  south,  near  the  front,  and  that  for  the  boys  on  the  north,  near 
the  rear.  From  these  entrances  the  scholars  pass  directly  either  into  the  base- 
ment or  up  to  the  first  floor. 

All  classrooms  and  corridors  on  the  first,  second  and  third  floors  have  a 
wainscot  of  glazed  brick  six  feet  high,  the  junction  between  it  and  the  plaster 
above  being  covered  by  a  wood  moulding  in  the  corridors,  and  by  a  picture  shelf 
and  moulding  in  the  classrooms.    The  exterior  is  faced  with  red  pallet  brick. 

In  1906  an  addition  containing  seven  classrooms,  a  kindergarten,  and  an 
assembly  hall  were  added  to  the  Webster  School. 

In  1907  the  superintendent  records  the  increase  in  school  population  as  fol- 
lows : 

"The  complete  and  corrected  returns  from  the  census  enumerators  show  that 
the  number  of  children  of  school  age  in  this  city  is  17,781,  which  is  a  gain  of 
931  over  the  census  of  1906.    This  gain  is  far  in  excess  of  that  of  previous  years 
and  means  that  in  the  near  future,  if  we  are  to  properly  accommodate  our  grow-1 
ing    school    population,    it    will    be    necessary  to  build,  every  school  year,  one 
18  to  20-room  school  building.     The    central    district,    Croft,    Welton    and    Clay 
Street  schools,  shows  an  increase    of    580 ;    the    northwestern    district,    Driggs, 
I'.idiop  Street  and  Lincoln  schools,  an  increase  of  333;  the  Washington  Hill  dis- 
trict, Washington,  Mulcahy  and  Merriman  schools,  an  increase  of  102 ;  West  Side 
Hill,  Russell  School,  an  increase  of  66 ;  the  Brooklyn  district,  Duggan,  Porter 
Street  and  Barnard  schools,  and  the  northern  district,  Webster  and  Walsh,  show 
smaller  increases ;  and  the  eastern  section,  Hendricken  and  Hamilton,  remains 
practically  stationary.     The  enormous  increase  of  580  in  the  heart  of  the  city 
certainly  means  that  within  a  few  years  it  will  be  necessary  to  carry  out  the 
original  plans  of  the  Croft  School  by  removing  the  old  building  and  erecting  an 
addition  of  20  to  24  rooms  to  the  present  new  structure.    One  only  needs  to  walk 
a  comparatively  short  distance  on  the  streets  near  the  center  to  note  the  number 
of  large  tenement  blocks  that  are  being  erected  on  every  side,  and  this  is  likely 
to  continue  for  several  years,  producing  in  the  center  of  the  city  a  school  popula- 
tion very  much  greater  than  at  present.     The  city  is  very  fortunate  in  having 
sufficient  land  in  the  rear  of  the  new  Margaret  Croft  School  on  which  to  erect  an 
addition  which  will  accommodate  this  increased  number  of  children.    Among  the 
district  schools.  Bunker  Hill,  Sprague  and  Town  Plot  show  the  largest  increases." 
During  this  year  a  ten-room  addition  to  the  Driggs  School  was  opened,  as  well 
as  six-  and  eight-room  additions  at  the  Duggan  and  Webster  schools,  respectively. 
In  1909  the  conditions  at  the  Crosby  High  School  were  such  that  half  sessions 
became  necessary.     In  1908  the  assembly  room  had  been  given  over  to  classes,  but 
this  failed  to  help  out  as  the  attendance  for  1909  reached  760,  a  further  gain  of 
forty  over  the  previous  year. 


68  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

It  was  still  necessary  to  shift  about  and  provide  for  overflows  in  various  sec- 
tions. The  total  attendance  for  this  year,  11,119,  showed  a  gain  of  over  five 
hundred. 

For  1910,  the  attendance  was  11,503,  a  further  gain  over  the  previous  year, 
the  High  School  gaining  fifty-two.  In  this  year  the  High  School  classes  were 
divided,  305  pupils  attending  the  afternoon  sessions  and  507  the  morning  sessions. 

However,  the  board  had  acted  and  plans  for  a  new  school  were  drawn.  Unfor- 
tunately the  financial  conditions  were  such  as  to  prevent  an  immediate  sale  of 
the  bonds. 

In  this  year  the  evening  schools  led  the  entire  state  in  attendance,  the  registra- 
tion reaching  nearly  a  thousand. 

This  year  saw  the  opening  of  its  first  community  playground.  The  first  report 
of  Joseph  A.  Colloty,  supervisor  of  physical  training  in  the  public  schools,  con- 
tains the  following: 

"If  public  opinion  that  has  been  gathered  from  all  sources  may  be  used  as  a 
judge,  the  eight  weeks'  session  of  playgrounds,  just  completed  at  Hamilton  Park, 
has  been  one  of  the  most  successful  movements  undertaken.  It  was  instituted  by 
the  Board  of  Education  and  plans  carried  out  by  the  Board  of  Public  Works. 

"A  boys'  baseball  league  was  organized  for  boys  under  fifteen  years  of  age. 
Forty  league  games  were  played,  with  an  average  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  root- 
ers each  day,  and  they  were  rooters,  giving  that  number  of  boys  something  to  do 
beside  playing  in  the  streets  or  up  to  some  mischief  or  other. 

"Swearing,  smoking  and  fighting  were  absolutely  prohibited ;  the  rules  were 
kept  in  good  shape ;  not  a  fight  occurred  during  the  series,  and  the  absence  of 
swearing  was  commented  on  by  every  adult  who  witnessed  the  games. 

"The  tennis  courts  proved  a  big  success,  being  engaged  from  as  early  as  9 
A.  M.  until  dark.  We  had  two  double  courts  and  six  would  not  have  been  too 
many.  Over  seventy-five  boys,  one  hundred  adults  and  twenty-two  young  ladies 
and  girls  were  instructed  in  the  game  and  had  the  use  of  the  courts.  The  spec- 
tators numbered  as  high  as  one  hundred  a  day ;  an  average  was  not  kept." 

In  1908  the  school  census  showed  the  beginning  of  a  notable  shifting  of  popu- 
lation. In  the  number  of  children  at  school,  there  was  an  increase  of  275  and  in 
enumeration  a  decrease  of  536.  Washington  Hill,  comprising  the  Washington, 
Mulcahy  and  Merriman  schools,  showed  a  decrease  of  113.  In  the  Brooklyn  dis- 
trict, the  Duggan  and  Barnard  schools  showed  a  decrease  of  342,  while  the  Porter 
showed  an  increase  of  192,  making  the  net  decrease  in  Brooklyn  150.  In  the 
northern  section  of  the  city  the  Webster  and  Walsh  schools  gave  an  increase  of 
in  and  in  the  northwestern  section  the  Driggs  and  Bishop  Street  schools  an 
increase  of  417. 

The  total  number  of  children  in  attendance  this  year  was  10,093. 

In  1910  large  additions  to  both  the  Russell  and  Merriman  schools  were  begun. 
The  Merriman  school  work  covered  by  the  contract  consisted  of  a  new  wing  con- 
taining five  class  rooms,  a  kindergarten,  wood-working  room,  and  cooking  room; 
this  new  wing  being  a  duplicate  of  the  front  part  of  the  present  building.  The 
new  and  old  buildings  are  connected  by  a  wide  corridor ;  the  space  between  build- 
ings forming  a  court  in  which  is  placed  the  new  main  entrance. 

The  addition  to  the  Russell  School  contains  on  the  first  floor  two  class  rooms, 
a  kindergarten  room  and  a  large  teacher's  room  or  office.  The  basement  has  a 
cooking  school  room  and  a  manual  training  room,  all  well  lighted,  heated  and  ven- 
tilated. 

In  his  report  for  191 1,  the  superintendent  thus  briefly  describes  conditions: 


WATERBURY  AXD  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY       69 

'The  corrected  school  census  returns  show  that  the  number  of  school  children 
in  the  city  is  20,347,  a  gain  of  1,341,  which  is  considerably  larger  than  any  during 
the  past  fifteen  years.  The  number  of  children  actually  in  attendance  in  the  public 
schools  is  13,683,  a  gain  of  1,010;  in  the  private  and  parochial  schools,  4.500.  The 
returns  show  that  the  Brooklyn  district  remains  about  stationary;  the  district 
which  includes  the  center  of  the  city  gives  a  gain  of  628;  the  north  end  section,  a 
gain  of  408 :  Washington  Hill,  a  gain  of  57.  Of  the  district  schools,  East  Farms 
and  East  Mountain  show  the  largest  relative  gain,  40  in  all;  Hopeville,  Mill  Plain, 
Park  Road  and  Waterville,  about  the  same,  15  each;  and  Town  Plot,  43.  In  this 
connection  it  is  interesting  to  recall  that  the  city  will  receive  from  the  state  this 
year,  and  from  the  Leavenworth  fund  for  the  expenses  of  our  schools,  an  amount 
in  excess  of  $55,000,  a  rather  tidy  sum.  The  total  number  of  children  attending 
the  public  schools  is  12,129,  a  gain  of  635  as  compared  with  the  attendance  last 
year.    The  gain  this  year  is  abnormal  to  the  extent  of  at  least  two  hundred  pupils." 

The  total  registration  at  evening  schools  for  191 1  was  1,284. 

In  commenting  on  the  new  playground  movement,  the  superintendent  says: 

T  think  it  is  generally  conceded  that  playgrounds  have  come  to  stay  in  Water- 
bury.  During  the  past  year  the  Board  of  Education  co-operated  with  the  Board  of 
Public  Works,  as  in  1910,  and  paid  part  of  the  expenses  of  the  playground  at 
Hamilton  Park.  In  this  connection  it  is  pleasant  to  note  that  the  Board  of  Public 
Works  opened  several  other  playgrounds  in  different  sections  of  the  city  where 
they  seemed  to  be  specially  needed,  and  also,  that  the  Associated  Charities  had  a 
large  playground  in  the  center  of  the  city,  on  South  Main  Street.  Every  move 
made  in  this  direction  is  praiseworthy  and  should  receive  the  hearty  co-operation 
of  the  public." 

In  191 1  the  crowded  condition  at  the  Crosby  High  School  was  to  some  extent 
relieved  by  an  addition  to  the  rear  of  the  building.  This  was  three  stories  high, 
30  feet  by  96  feet,  and  gave  six  additional  school  rooms,  a  girls'  toilet  room  and 
storage  and  stock  rooms  in  the  basement,  a  superintendent's  office  and  a  principal's 
office,  with  waiting  room,  and  secretary's  room  and  toilet  room  for  each,  a  physical 
lecture  room  and  a  physical  laboratory,  a  chemical  laboratory,  and  two  botanical 
laboratories  having  been  provided  in  the  old  part. 

In  191 1  the  expenditures  for  new  buildings  and  furniture  amounted  to  $138,845. 
Of  this  sum  $81,000  was  expended  on  the  Crosby  High  School,  $28,700  on  the 
Merriman  School,  and  $18,945  on  Driggs  School. 

In  1912  the  enumeration  was  20,933,  a  gain  of  586;  the  number  of  children  in 
the  public  schools  was  14,117,  in  the  parochial  schools,  3,886.  In  the  High  School 
the  attendance  was  935,  a  further  gain  of  82  or  255  more  pupils  than  could  be 
accommodated  at  single  sessions.  The  evening  school  attendance  for  1912  was 
1.426. 

Superintendent  Tinker  thus  summarizes  the  school  accommodation  problem  in 
his  report  for  19 12: 

"The  growth  in  the  number  of  school  children  has  been  much  greater  between 
the  years  1908  and  1912  than  between  1902  and  1908;  yet  the  total  amount  appro- 
priated for  new  grammar  schools  during  the  period  of  rapid  growth  was  only 
$171,900,  an  average  of  $28,700  per  year,  while  in  the  period  of  slower  growth 
the  amount  of  money  appropriated  for  the  same  purpose  was  $261,814,  or  an 
average  of  $43,635  per  year.  This  shows  most  conclusively  that  in  new  construc- 
tion we  have  been  falling  behind  during  the  past  six  years  from  $15,000  to  $25,000 
each  year,  and  there  is  little  likelihood  of  our  catching  up  unless  future  appropria- 
tions for  new  construction  are  largely  increased.  To  state  it  in  another  way,  dur- 
ing the  last  eight  years  the  increase  in  school  attendance  has  been  2,650 ;  the  nuni- 


70  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

ber  of  rooms  opened  35,  which,  with  an  average  accommodation  of  45,  would  seat 
1,575  pupils,  leaving  over  one  thousand  pupils  for  whom  no  new  accommodations 
have  been  provided." 

In  1912  the  first  report  was  made  on  the  ages  of  grammar  school  graduates,  and 
the  number  of  years  required  by  them  to  complete  the  grammar  school  course. 
For  nine  years  a  card  system  had  been  kept.  These  cards,  which  are  still  kept, 
contain  a  complete  school  record  of  each  pupil,  giving  his  name,  date  of  birth, 
birthplace,  parents'  name,  address,  and  for  each  year,  the  school  attended,  his 
grade  and  rank ;  in  addition,  the  card  also  contains  a  great  many  facts  about  the 
general  health  of  the  student,  his  eyesight,  hearing,  contagious  diseases,  etc. 

In  his  report  for  1912,  the  superintendent  says: 

"There  were  400  graduates,  of  whom  2  completed  the  course  in  six  years ;  7, 
or  1^4  per  cent,  in  seven  years;  66,  or  i6l/2  per  cent,  in  eight  years;  234,  or  58^2 
per  cent,  came  through  on  schedule  time,  nine  years  ;  74,  or  18^  per  cent,  in  ten 
years;  15,  or  tfA  per  cent,  in  eleven  years,  and  2  pupils  in  twelve  years.  Eight, 
or  2  per  cent,  were  twelve  years  of  age;  43,  or  1034  per  cent,  were  thirteen  years ; 
109,  or  27%  per  cent,  were  fourteen  years;  139,  or  3434  per  cent,  were  fifteen 
years;  76,  or  19  per  cent,  were  sixteen  years,  and  25,  or  6)4  per  cent,  were  seven- 
teen years  of  age." 

In  1912  the  four-room  Hill  Street  School  was  built,  at  a  cost  of  $23,000. 

In  1913  the  school  enumeration  was  23,171,  a  gain  of  2,238.  Of  this  number, 
15,527  were  in  the  public  schools  and  4,362  in  private  schools.  The  Washington 
Hill  gain  was  665,  the  Center  gain  497,  the  North  End  gain  345,  Brooklyn  274, 
the  western  section  103,  and  a  small  gain  in  all  the  districts.  The  number  of 
pupils  attending  half  sessions  in  1913  was  1,327.  The  evening  school  attendance 
was  1,385. 

The  city  was  now  thoroughly  awake  to  the  need  of  new  schools.  The  Slocum 
School,  twelve  rooms,  was  promised  to  the  North  End  for  1914.  This  did  away 
with  half  sessions  in  both  the  Webster  and  Walsh  schools.  An  eight-room  addi- 
tion to  the  Clay  School  and  a  similar  addition  to  the  Washington  School  were  well 
under  way. 

The  Slocum  School  plans  called  for  a  twenty-four-room  building,  of  which 
twelve  were  to  be  completed  in  the  future.  The  architects  of  this  fine  semi-fire- 
proof structure  were  Freney  &  Jackson.  It  is  considered  one  of  the  best  of  the 
city's  schools. 

On  December  25,  1912,  the  Sprague  School  was  visited  by  a  destructive  fire 
which  left  practically  nothing  standing  but  the  brick  walls.  Plans  were  at  once 
prepared  to  rebuild  on  the  same  lines  as  the  old  except  that  the  committee  decided 
to  place  the  heating  plant  in  a  separate  building  at  the  rear  of  the  school.  Con- 
tracts were  let  in  February  and  the  work  was  pushed  with  such  speed  that  the 
building  was  completed  and  available  for  school  use  in  191 3.  No  changes  were 
made  in  the  exterior  design  of  the  school.  The  old  assembly  hall  was  divided 
up  which  gave  two  more  class  rooms,  so  that  the  building  contains  one  kinder- 
garten, fifteen  class  rooms,  two  offices,  two  toilet  rooms,  recitation  and  supply 
rooms  and  a  library.  Each  floor  also  has  roomy  corridors  in  which  are  placed 
the  wardrobes  for  the  use  of  the  pupils.  The  wardrobes  are  of  iron.  The  entire 
basement  was  given  up  to  boys'  and  girls'  play  rooms.  Several  fire  protective 
features  were  installed,  chief  of  which  were  the  fire  walls.  These  extend  from 
basement  to  roof  and  serve  to  confine  a  possible  fire  within  the  wing  in  which  it 
may  start.  These  walls  are  of  heavy  brick,  and  the  openings  in  the  walls  in  the 
different  stories  are  protected  by  fire  doors  which  are  automatically  closed  by 
the  melting  of  a  fuse  at  a  certain  temperature. 


WATER MLKY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  71 

Extra  promotions  had  been  begun  in  1912,  and  in  [913  it  was  decided  to  give 
461  pupils  an  opportunity  to  do  two  years'  work  in  one.  Only  those  who  stood 
highest  and  were  physically  strong  were  selected.  This  was  a  new  device  to  over- 
come the  school  congestion,  and  resulted  in  shortening  the  grammar  course  by 
one  year  for  these  advanced  pupils.  In  19  14  the  double  promotions  numbered 
401. 

The  school  enumeration  for  m>  1 4  again  reflected  local  economic  conditions. 
The  figure  was  21,681,  a  loss  of  1,490.  The  public  school  attendance  for  the  year 
was  [4,880;  private  school  attendance,  4.255.  The  losses  were  as  follows:  Merri- 
man,  5;  Mulcahy,  90;  Croft,  281  ;  Webster,  129;  Bishop,  624;  Porter,  116;  Driggs 
and  Lincoln,  304;  Hamilton,  159;  Hendricken,  230;  Waterville,  54.  All  others 
showed  small  gains.    The  attendance  at  the  evening  schools  was  1,529. 

Of  the  conditions  at  the  Crosby  High  School,  the  superintendent  says : 

"The  situation  in  the  high  school  is  such  that  it  is  very  doubtful  if  it  will  be 
possible  to  house  the  pupils  next  year,  even  in  two  sessions  and  a  third  session 
is  absolutely  out  of  the  question.  Twelve  hundred  and  twenty  pupils  are  now  in 
attendance,  which  is  nearly  twice  the  full  capacity  of  the  school.  Fortunately  up 
to  the  present  year  the  two  divisions  have  been  somewhat  equally  divided  and 
the  selection  of  courses  of  study  by  the  pupils  has  been  such  that  it  was  possible 
to  accommodate  everyone,  but  during  the  present  year  there  has  been  a  sort  of  a 
realignment  on  the  part  of  the  pupils  with  the  result  that  a  large  number  of  pupils 
can  not  take  the  studies  that  are  called  for  in  their  courses  for  the  reason  that  it 
is  absolutely  impossible  to  organize  additional  classes.  The  laboratory  facilities 
are  proving  to  be  inadequate  and  the  commercial  practice  rooms  entirely  too 
small." 

In  1914  the  Slocum  School  was  opened  and  filled  to  capacity.  Additions  to 
the  Maloney  and  Washington  schools  were  begun.  The  Mulcahy,  which  was  par- 
tially destroyed  by  fire  in  1914,  and  the  old  Croft  School  building,  which  was 
also  heavily  damaged  by  flames,  were  both  thoroughly  repaired,  and  ready  for 
occupancy  in  1915.  After  these  fires  sprinkler  systems  were  placed  in  all  new 
schools  and  in  the  old  ones  as  rapidly  as  funds  would  permit. 

In  January,  1914,  the  Board  of  Education  decided  to  make  the  superintendent 
of  schools  the  executive  head  of  the  entire  school  department  and  to  hold  him 
wholly  responsible  for  all  of  its  activities.  The  superintendent  up  to  that  time  had 
charge  of  the  purely  educational  work ;  the  physical  plant  being  in  charge  of  the 
Committee  on  Schoolhouses  and  the  inspector  of  school  buildings.  Under  the  new 
arrangement,  the  superintendent  was  also  made  responsible  for  the  condition  of 
the  physical  plant. 

In  1 914  plans  were  adopted  for  the  new  Clark  School  on  Scovill  Street,  adjoin- 
ing the  Croft  School.  It  is  a  fourteen-room  building,  complete  with  wood- 
working and  cooking  departments,  gymnasium,  swimming  pool,  boys'  and  girls' 
lockers,  shower  and  dressing  room.  This  building  is  a  model  in  every  respect 
as  to  its  construction  and  finish,  and  the  entire  range  of  modern  schoolhouse  work 
in  this  country  was  searched  to  produce  a  building  which  would  be  of  most  thor- 
ough and  at  the  same  time  most  economical  fireproof  construction.  The  walls 
of  the  building  are  of  brick,  the  exterior  facing  being  of  selected  brick  trimmed 
with  a  small  amount  of  Indiana  limestone  in  keeping  with  the  Croft  School. 

The  Sprague  School  gymnasium,  which  was  begun  in  October,  1914,  was 
ready  for  occupancy  February,  191 5.     The  auditorium  in  this  seats  500. 

In  191 5  the  enumeration  was  22,390,  a  gain  of  709  over  1914.  The  largest 
gains  were  as.  follows :  Washington  District,  180;  Duggan,  109;  Mulcahy,  103; 
Hendricken,  101  ;  Barnard  and  Maloney,  81  each;  Croft,  50;  Porter,  48;  Lincoln, 


72  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

43 ;  Walsh,  38 ;  Driggs,  30 ;  Merriman  showed  a  loss  of  76 ;  Russell,  of  69 ;  and 
Webster,  of  198.  Town  Plot  showed  a  gain  of  162;  Bucks  Hill,  27;  Hopeville, 
20;  East  Mountain,  15;  Mill  Plain,  13;  East  Farms,  7.  The  losses  in  Waterville 
were  34,  and  in  Bunker  Hill,  17.  The  reports  of  the  attendance  for  September, 
1915,  show  a  total  number  of  13,959  pupils,  a  gain  of  611.  There  was  a  loss  in 
attendance  of  98  at  the  Driggs  and  Lincoln  schools,  due  to  the  opening  of  the 
new  St.  Margaret's  Parochial  School.  The  attendance  at  the  evening  schools 
was  1,679,  tne  largest  in  the  history  of  the  city  up  to  that  time. 

In  191 5  a  decided  advance  was  made  in  the  planning  and  construction  of  new 
schools.  Of  these  the  most  important  enterprises  were  the  planning  of  the 
new  Wilby  High  School  and  the  opening  of  the  Clark  School  on  which  in 
1915  $100,667.94  was  expended.  The  total  expenditures  in  1915  for  buildings, 
additions  and  furniture  was  $128,214.93,  in  1914  it  was  $129,133,  of  which 
$42,930  was  spent  in  the  new  high  school  addition  and  $58,974  on  the  Maloney 
School. 

The  work  on  additions  and  alterations  of  the  Hendricken  School  was  com- 
menced in  October,  1915,  and  finished  in  March,  1916.  In  the  basement  the 
following  new  rooms  were  added :  Cooking  room,  boiler  room,  woodworking 
room,  girls'  and  boys'  sanitaries,  store  room  and  new  exit.  On  the  first  floor 
were  added  a  kindergarten,  teachers'  room,  kindergarten  and  teachers'  toilets, 
store  room  and  exit.  On  the  second  floor  were  added  a  class  room,  principal's 
room  and  library  and  toilet. 

The  school  department  in  191 5  had  four  new  gymnasiums  and  one  up-to-date 
swimming  pool.  The  pool  and  one  new  gymnasium  are  located  at  the  Clark 
School,  one  at  Washington,  one  at  Maloney  and  one  at  the  Sprague  School. 
They  are  all  well  lighted,  heated,  and  ventilated. 

Plans  were  also  approved  for  the  eight-room  Mattatuck  School  at  the  corner 
of  Seymour  and  Russell  streets  and  for  the  long-contemplated  nine-room  Lincoln 
School,  to  replace  the  old  Lincoln  School  on  Sperry  Street. 

The  returns  of  the  school  enumeration  for  1916  showed  24,001  children  of 
school  age,  a  gain  of  1,611  as  compared  with  191 5.  The  total  number  at  school 
was  21,063,  a  gani  °f  1,000;  total  number  in  private  schools,  4,996,  a  gain  of 
521 ;  a  total  number  employed  between  fourteen  and  sixteen  years  of  age  was 
548,  a  gain  of  98.  The  attendance  at  evening  schools  for  1916  was  2,177,  a  §am 
of  practically  500. 

The  Begnal  School,  corner  Seymour  and  Russell  streets,  containing  eight 
class  rooms  and  a  kindergarten,  was  opened  in  19 17. 

THE   NEW   VOCATIONAL   AND   GRAMMAR   SCHOOL 

The  new  vocational  and  grammar  school  building  which  is  now  being  con- 
structed on  the  lot  adjoining  the  Crosby  High  School  will  have  a  frontage  of 
133  feet  on  East  Main  Street,  153  feet  on  North  Elm  Street,  and  133  feet  on 
Water  Street. 

The  exterior  will  be  built  of  buff  pressed  brick  trimmed  with  granite  and 
limestone  to  match  up  the  present  building  and  it  will  conform  to  the  present 
building  in  design. 

The  pitched  slate-covered  roof  of  the  present  building  will  be  entirely 
removed  and  the  new  roof  of  the  present  building  and  the  roof  of  the  new 
building  will  have  a  practically  flat  surface  finished  in  vitrified  tile  for  play- 
ground use. 

There  will  be  one  entrance  to  the  new  building  from  East  Main  and  two 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY       73 

from  North  Elm  streets.  The  entrance  from  Water  Street  to  the  basement  of 
the  present  building  may  be  also  used  for  exit  and  entrance  to  the  new. 

The  floors  and  roofs  are  to  he  of  reinforced  concrete  construction ;  the 
staircases,  of  which  there  will  be  two,  will  extend-  from  the  sub-basement  to  the 
roof.  These  are  to  be  of  structural  iron  construction  with  selected  blue  stone 
treads  and  platforms,  and  they  will  be  enclosed  within  brick  walls.  The  stair- 
case halls  will  be  closed  off  from  the  corridors  at  each  floor  with  metal  fireproof 
doors,  transoms  and  partitions  glazed  with  wired  glass. 

A  direct-connected  electric  combination  passenger  and  freight  elevator  will 
be  installed  to  travel  from  the  boiler  room  floor  to  the  third  floor. 

The  boiler  room  and  the  heating  apparatus  room  will  be  below  the  Water 
Street  level.  The  boiler  room  will  contain  the  filter  and  pump  rooms,  coal 
bunker  and  ash  bin.  There  will  be  five  floors  above  the  boiler  room,  the  sub- 
basement,  basement  and  first,  second  and  third  floors.  The  sub-basement  will 
contain  a  gymnasium  42  feet  8  inches  by  63  feet,  with  two  galleries  above  on  the 
basement  floor  level,  the  boys'  and  girls'  locker  and  shower  rooms,  drying  rooms, 
lounging  spaces,  director's  room,  a  swimming  pool  25  feet  wide  by  60  feet  long 
with  a  spectators'  gallery  12  feet  by  70  feet  at  one  side  of  the  pool.  The  sub- 
basement  will  also  furnish  room  for  the  foundry  and  plumbing  shop,  a  stock 
and  saw  room  and  four  store  rooms. 

The  gymnasium  and  locker  rooms  will  be  lined  full  height  with  glazed  brick ; 
the  shower  and  drying  rooms  and  all  walls  enclosing  the  pool  will  be  faced  with 
white  enameled  brick.  The  pool,  all  floor  spaces  around  the  pool  and  the  floors 
of  the  shower  rooms  will  be  laid  with  tile. 

The  basement  will  contain  three  machine  shops  and  a  forge  shop.  The  first, 
second  and  third  floors  will  contain  twenty-nine  class  rooms  and  on  each  floor 
there  will  be  toilet  rooms. 

All  class  rooms  will  have  glazed  brick  wainscot,  maple  floors,  ash  trim  and 
blackboards.  The  corridors  will  have  composition  floors  on  concrete  and  glazed 
brick  wainscot. 

Ail  class  rooms  on  the  inside  of  the  building  open  to  a  light  court  55  feet  by 
69  feet. 

Fire  standpipes  will  be  carried  up  through  the  building  to  the  roof  at 
several  places  and  these  will  be  equipped  with  hose  and  hose  racks.  Suitable 
pipes  and  fixtures  will  be  carried  to  the  outside  walls  of  the  building,  which  will 
permit  the  fire  department  to  connect  their  apparatus  and  increase  the  water 
pressure  on  the  interior  of  the  building.  Sprinklers  will  be  installed  in  the 
sub-basement,  basement  and  elsewhere  in  the  building  where  combustibles  may 
be  stored. 

The  new  building  will  be  connected  with  the  Crosby  High  School  at  the 
basement,  first,  second  and  third  floors  by  means  of  ample  corridors.  To  obtain 
the  room  for  these  corridors  several  changes  are  to  be  made  on  the  several  floors 
of  the  Crosby  School.  Among  these  will  be  the  shortening  of  the  boys'  lunch 
room  in  the  basement,  the  closing  up  of  the  west  entrance  to  the  basement,  the 
closing  up  of  the  side  entrance  to  offices  on  the  first  floor,  adding  a  new  vault 
for  the  use  of  the  school  clerk,  a  new  waiting  room,  new  offices  for  the  girl 
clerks,  the  secretary  and  the  superintendent,  and  using  part  of  the  women 
teachers'  room  on  the  first  floor.  On  the  second  floor  part  of  the  recitation  rooms 
and  the  spaces  used  for  physical  and  chemical  stores  are  to  be  used  for  cor- 
ridors and  the  necessary  additions  and  alterations  are  made  to  provide  for  store 
rooms.  On  the  third  floor  minor  alterations  only  will  be  necessary  to  accommo- 
date the  connecting  corridors. 


74  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

In  the  near  future  it  is  the  intention  to  use  both  the  present  and  new  build- 
ings for  a  vocational  school  and  the  new  building  has  been  planned  so  that  it 
may  be  adapted  to  that  use  at  a  minimum  cost.  When  used  for  a  vocational 
school  the  following  rooms  will  be  contained  in  the  first,  second  and  third  floors : 
cabinet  work,  pattern  shop,  wood  turning,  electric  wiring  and  testing,  printing 
and  bookbinding,  painting  and  decorating,  mechanical  drawing,  design  and  draw- 
ing, elementary  mechanical  drawing,  sewing,  dressmaking,  millinery,  nursing, 
elementary  cooking,  advanced  cooking,  laundry,  sheet  metal,  general  science, 
women  teachers,  principal's  office,  waiting  room,  department  office  and  a  small 
apartment  containing  a  dining  room,  a  living  room,  bath  and  bed  room. 

VALUE  OF  SCHOOL  PROPERTY    I916 

This  is  the  record  from  the  annual  report  for  1916.  The  additional  value  in 
schools  opened  and  under  construction  in  191 7  will  bring  the  total  valuation  to 
nearly  four  million  dollars.  This  allows  approximately  a  million  for  the  new 
Wilby  High  School  on  Pine  Street  which  is  to  be  opened  in  19 17  and  the  voca- 
tional school  adjoining  the  Crosby  which  when  completed  will  have  cost  approxi- 
mately eight  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

Important  changes  in  the  schools  in  191 7  were  the  appointment  of  M.  C. 
Donovan  as  principal  of  the  Crosby  High  School,  succeeding  Stephen  W.  Wilby, 
who  died  March  30,  1917.  Joseph  P.  Kennedy  was  made  principal  of  the  Wilby 
High  School,  which  opened  its  doors  September  1,   19 17. 

For  1.9 1 7  the  board  is  expending  $60,000  for  gymnasium  and  pool  in  Brook- 
lyn. This  is  to  be  ready  in  19 18.  The  new  thirteen-room  school  in  the  Hopeville 
District,  which  is  to  contain  a  pool  and  gymnasium,  will  also  be  ready  for 
occupancy  in  1918.    The  total  cost  of  this  is  now  placed  at  $100,000. 

The  expenditures  for  new  buildings  and  additions,  including  furnishings,  in 
Waterbury  schools  since  1895  have  been  as  follows: 

1895   $  32.963.68  1906 49,000.00 

1896 76,441.32  1907 52,100.00 

1897 27>793-26  1908 2,900.00 

1898 32»445-79  1909 38,768.03 

1899 108,390.04  1910 44,000.00 

1900 20.444.29  1911  138,845.00 

1 90 1   40,998.75  191 2 23,647.67 

1902 49,884.00  1913 64,362.00 

1903 36,500.00  1914 129,133.09 

1904 34.523-5I  1915  126,214,93 

1905  39,806.70  1916 104,051.52 

Total  including  lots, 
building,  books, 
School  No.  of  rooms        furniture,  etc. 

Crosby  High 35  $266,240 

Barnard    12  43,6io 

Bishop 12  43,o68 

Clark    14  101,787 

Croft    12-20  120,526 

Driggs    24  1 14,342 

Duggan 20  96,356 


ST.   MARGARET'S   SCHOOL.   WATERBURY 


CONVENT   OF   NOTRE   DAME.    WATERBURY 


WATERIU'RY  AND  THE  \Al(  ;ATUCK  VALLEY 


75 


School 

I  tamilton   

Hendricken    .  . . 

I  -incoln     

Maloney 

Mary  Abbott  . . 
Merrim;in  .... 
Mill   Plain 

Mulcahy 

Porter    

Russell    

Slocum 

Sprague    

Town  Plot  .... 

Walsh 

Washington    ..  . 

Webster   

Welton   

Stock  Room  .  .  . 
Mattatuck  Site 
Pine  Street  Site 
Begnal  Site   ... 
Columbia  Site  . 


No. 


of  rooms 

4 
10 

8 
16 

4 
16 

4 

12 

8 

12 

12 

16 

8 

18 

20 

6 


Totals 348 

Bucks  Hill 2 

Bunker  Hill 8 

Chapel 6 

East  Farms 1 

East  Mountain 2 

Hopeville   4 

Newton  Heights 1 

Oronoke 1 

Park  Road 4 

Reidville 4 


Total  including  lots, 
building,  books, 
furniture,  etc. 
$12,695 

65,348 
28,822 
91,781 
28,822 
88,694 

24,983 
50,184 
31,666 
78,730 

83,737 
69,422 

33,822 

165,794 
59,660 

88,336 
21,868 
2,882 
10,000 
108,000 
17,000 
20,000 


$1,968,196 


$ 


Totals 33 


7400 
44,858 
20,500 

3,o75 
6,300 

13,504 

4,575 

3,5i5 

n,i75 
7,56o 


$122,462 


PRESENT    SCHOOL    ACTIVITIES 

To  give  a  clear  idea  of  the  extension  of  educational  work  in  Waterbury,  the 
following  extracts  from  the   1916  report  are  given: 

"In  addition  to  the  regular  school  work  the  teachers  and  pupils  have  engaged 
in  a  large  number  of  special  activities  much  wider  in  scope  than  the  exhibits  of 
regular  school  work.  Nearly  every  building  had,  this  year,  a  special  exhibition 
of  gymnastic  work  of  unusual  merit.  Two  schools  presented  entertainments 
of  an  unusual  nature,  both  of  which  had  large  educational  values.  The  Duggan 
School  gave  an  exhibition  of  living  pictures  which  was  greatly  enjoyed  and 
favorably  commented  on  by  more  than  a  thousand  parents  and  friends,  and  the 


76  WATERBURY  AXD  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Walsh  School  presented  a  pageant  illustrating  the  history  of  Waterbury,  many 
scenes  of  which  were  acted  out  in  a  truly  marvelous  manner. 

OVER-AGE    CLASSES 

"A  new  over-age  class  has  been  opened  in  the  Duggan  building  for  tbe 
accommodation  of  such  pupils  in  the  Porter,  Duggan,  Barnard  and  Town  Plot 
schools.  Reports  from  all  three  special  classes  continue  to  show  the  great  use- 
fulness of  this  work,  and  it  is  planned  to  open  other  similar  classes  in  another 
year. 

DOMESTIC    SCIENCE 

"During  the  last  year  the  Hendricken  and  Russell  schools  have  been  equipped 
with  kitchens,  making  a  total  of  ten,  which  necessitated  the  appointment  of  a  new 
teacher.  Classes  from  St.  Thomas'  Parochial  School  are  being  accommodated 
at  Webster  School,  and  special  classes  of  backward  children  have  been  arranged 
for  in  nearly  every  school.  Laundry  equipment  is  being  installed  in  most  of 
the  kitchens  and  lessons  in  this  work  have  already  been  given  to  some  extent. 
New  meat  charts  have  been  procured  for  four  kitchens.  We  are  revising  the 
course  of  study,  giving  special  attention  to  practical  and  economical  methods  on 
account  of  the  present  unnatural  increase  in  the  cost  of  food  supplies." 

WOODWORKING    CLASSES 

In  the  woodworking  departments  the  report  shows  15  classes  in  the  Margaret 
Croft  School,  averaging  17  each;  in  the  Driggs  School  there  are  12  classes;  in 
the  Lincoln  School,  3 ;  in  the  Duggan,  2  ;  in  the  Walsh,  2 ;  in  the  Sprague,  5 ; 
Webster,  7 ;  Mary  Abbott  and  St.  Thomas  Parochial,  6 ;  Washington  and  Mul- 
cahy,  5 ;  Russell,  4 ;  Merriman,  4 ;  Hendricken,  Mill  Plain  and  Hamilton  Avenue,  7. 

THE  CONTINUATION  SCHOOL 

One  of  the  most  important  advances  made  in  Waterbury  was  unquestionably 
the  establishment  in  November,  1912,  of  the  Continuation  School. 

There  were  seven  manufacturing  concerns  who  desired  to  send  a  total  of 
210  apprentices.  As  the  capacity  of  the  school  had  been  set  at  180  students  and 
more  factories  made  application  to  enter  apprentices,  the  school  board  was  com- 
pelled to  increase  the  accommodations.  The  school  opened  for  its  second  year 
September,  1913,  with  20  manufacturers  sending  a  total  of  250  apprentices. 
Tn  191 7  the  classes  number  200. 

The  following  is  the  curriculum: 

First  Year 

Shop  Arithmetic. — The  four  fundamental  operations.  Fractions,  decimals, 
percentage,  ratio  and  proportion.  English  and  metric  units  of  length,  area, 
volume  and  weight.     Square  root.     Mensuration.     Practical  examples. 

Reports  and  discussions,  from  articles  in  trade  papers.  Oral  reports  and 
discussions  to  encourage  public  speaking  and  debating.  Written  reports  to  give 
training  in  spelling,  writing  and  composition. 

Shop  Talks. — The  opportunities  in  the  machine  industry.  The  requirements 
of  a  first-class  machinist.     A  brief  description  of  machines  used  by  the  machinist. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Chisels   and  chiseling  operations;  hies  and   filing;   hand   tools;  small  tools, 
study  of  the  materials  of  construction. 

History  and  Civics.  -Study  of  the  history,  growth  and  government  of  Water- 
bury.      The  development  of  the  various  industries  of  Waterhury. 

Personal  Hygiene. — Good  habits  for  the  worker,  hygiene  of  the  workroom; 
fatigue;  occupational  dangers;  first  aid  to  the  injured;  tuherculosis,  etc. 

Drawing. — Free-hand  sketching.  Free-hand  drawing  on  cross-section  paper 
of  tools  and  machine  parts.     Simple  projection. 

Second  Year 

Shop  Mathematics. — Solution  of  an  equation.  Formulas  in  power,  speeds,  and 
feeds  of  simple  machines.  Theory  of  exponents.  Logarithms,  powers  and  roots. 
The  slide  rule.     Solution  of  the  right  angle  triangle. 

Reports  and  discussions  on  topics  assigned  from  the  geographical  relation  of 
iron  and  brass;  their  founding  and  manufacture.  Written  and  oral  descriptions 
of  tools,  parts  of  machines  and  machine  operations. 

Shop  Talks. — A  study  of  the  following:  Drilling  machines,  lathe  planer, 
shaper,  milling  machine,  boring  mills  and  grinding  machines.  Selection  of  grind- 
ing wheels.     Gears  and  methods  of  cutting.     The  art  of  cutting  metals. 

Civics.— Government  of  Connecticut.  Connecticut's  position  in  the  manufac- 
turing world. 

Character  Study. — A  study  of  the  lives  and  contributions  of  the  nation's  noted 
inventors  and  the  influence  of  their  inventions  upon  the  progress  of  manufactures 
of  the  country. 

Mechanical  Drawing. — Simple  and  oblique  projections.  Free-hand  isometric 
drawing. 

Third  and  Fourth  Years 

Practical  Mathematics. — Solution  of  diagrams.    Practical  problems. 

Reports  and  discussions,  from  trade  journals. 

Shop  Talks. — Layout  and  assembly  operations.  Care  of  belting.  Lubricating 
oils  and  cutting  solutions.  Manufacturing  talks.  Heat  treatment  of  steel.  Tool 
making.     Cam  cutting. 

Civics. — The  national  government.     Duties  of  citizenship. 

Mechanical  Drawing. — Sketches  of  machine  parts  and  drawing  from  same. 
Isometric  drawing. 

Applied  Mathematics. — Applied  problems  and  review. 

Reports  and  discussions,  from  trade  journals. 

Shop  Talks. — A  study  of  turret  lathes,  automatic  machines  and  their  tools. 
Forge,  foundry  and  pattern  work.  Power  transmission.  A  brief  talk  on  the  pur- 
pose and  development  of  scientific  methods  as  applied  to  shop  work. 

Mechanics. — Laws  of  gases,  liquids  and  solids.  A  study  of  heat  and  its  prac- 
tical application.    Elementary  electricity  and  the  principles  of  electric  machines,  etc. 

Strength  of  Materials. — Strength  of  machine  parts,  tools,  etc. 

Drawing,  link  motions,  cam  layouts.     Solution  of  problems  by  graphics. 

The  fifth  year  of  Continuation  School  work  started  September,  1916,  with  215 
apprentices  enrolled,  twenty-three  factories  sending  apprentices. 

The  first  graduating  class  of  seven  apprentices  received  diplomas  in  June,  1916, 
and  at  the  same  time  certificates  were  awarded  to  ninety-six  apprentices  for  satis- 


78  WATERBURY  AXD  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

factorily  completing  their  studies  while  attending  the  Continuation  School.     Dur- 
ing this  year  a  course  for  automatic  screw  machine  operators  was  introduced. 

The  work  of  the  Continuation  School  has  attracted  attention  throughout  the 
country. 

THE   SALESMANSHIP    SCHOOL 

The  Salesmanship  School,  which  was  conducted  in  191 5  and  1916,  has  been 
temporarily  suspended  for  191 7.  Conditions  in  the  city  this  year  and  last  year  are 
and  have  been  very  unfavorable  to  the  work  in  that  a  shortage  of  help  in  the  stores 
makes  it  difficult  to  spare  any  to  attend  the  school.  In  spite  of  this,  the  merchants 
have  shown  a  much  greater  interest  and  desire  to  avail  themselves  of  the  oppor- 
tunity of  increasing  the  efficiency  of  their  store  forces,  as  is  shown  by  the  fact 
that  the  enrollment  in  1916  was  more  than  fifty.  Because  of  this  need  for  more 
help  in  the  stores,  an  entirely  new  plan  had  been  worked  out  with  much  success. 
Classes  were  held  in  two  of  the  stores,  instead  of  at  the  school,  taking  the  time  of 
the  teacher  rather  than  that  of  the  saleswomen  in  going  back  and  forth.  Thus  in 
the  Grant  and  Hutchinson  25-Cent  Stores  all  the  saleswomen  attended  the  classes, 
half  coming  at  one  time,  half  at  another.  There  was  less  individual  work,  but 
much  greater  enthusiasm  and  more  ground  covered.  A  class  from  the  Reid  & 
Hughes  Dry  Goods  Co.,  and  from  Grieve,  Bisset  and  Holland,  attended  the  school. 
The  work  will  be  resumed  as  economic  conditions  permit. 

THE    OPEN    AIR    SCHOOL 

During  the  spring  of  191 2  several  prominent  ladies  of  Waterbury  established 
an  Open  Air  School  for  Tuberculous  Children  which  was  at  first  conducted  at  no 
expense  whatever  to  the  Department  of  Education.  It  was  first  located  in  a  re- 
constructed building  in  the  rear  of  the  Industrial  School,  on  Central  Avenue.  The 
method  of  operation  was  unique.  The  children  were  given  three  meals  a  day, 
which  at  the  outset  were  served  in  a  dining  room  in  the  basement  of  the  Industrial 
School  Building.  They  were  served  with  good  nourishing  food,  plenty  of  milk, 
bread  and  butter,  vegetables,  good  soups,  cooked  fruits  and  such.  The  meals  cost 
from  17  to  18  cents  a  day  per  child. 

After  dinner  the  children  lie  down  for  an  hour  before  the  afternoon  session, 
on  cots  which  are  in  the  school  room.  They  are  weighed  once  a  week.  "Sitting 
out"  bags  are  provided  for  the  use  of  the  children  in  the  cold  weather,  also  warm 
caps  and  gloves. 

In  October  of  191 5  the  Open  Air  School  was  transferred  to  the  Clark  School 
and  placed  under  the  entire  control  of  the  Board  of  Education.  In  this  building 
two  large  rooms  are  used  for  class  room  and  rest  purposes,  both  equipped  with 
the  very  latest  devices.  In  the  basement  a  large  room  has  been  fitted  up  as  a 
kitchen  and  dining  room  with  neat,  serviceable  and  modern  equipment.  The  pupils 
in  this  school  also  have  the  opportunity  of  using  the  roof  playground  and,  taken 
altogether,  the  arrangements  for  the  Open  Air  School  are  as  complete  as  will  be 
found  in  any  similar  school  in  this  country. 

The  Board  of  Health,  through  the  school  physicians  and  nurses,  is  actively 
co-operating  in  its  management,  and  the  Waterbury  Dental  Association  is  taking 
care  of  the  children's  teeth.  As  soon  as  funds  are  available  and  there  is  need,  it 
is  planned  to  open  a  similar  school  or  schools  in  other  sections  of  the  city. 


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WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY       79 

EMPLOYMENT    OF    CHILDREN 

In  1914  an  important  investigation  was  begun  on  employment  of  children.  In 
his  report  for  that  year,  the  superintendent  has  this  to  say  by  way  of  comparing 
Waterbury  with  other  Connecticut  cities : 

"Some  interesting  figures  have  just  been  published  by  the  State  Board  of  Edu- 
cation relative  to  the  employment  of  children  between  the  ages  of  fourteen  and 
sixteen  years  that  I  think  will  prove  to  be  of  interest  to  you.  The  charge  is  some- 
times brought  against  the  schools  that  we  are  unable  to  hold  any  appreciable  per 
cent  of  children  between  fourteen  and  sixteen;  that  large  numbers  of  them  go  to 
work.  Now  this  may  be  and  may  not  be  true.  Whatever  the  facts  of  the  case 
may  be,  the  figures  from  the  State  Department  show  that,  as  compared  with  New 
Haven  and  Bridgeport,  the  per  cent  of  fourteen  and  sixteen-year-olds  that  we  hold 
in  the  schools  is  twice  as  great  as  theirs,  and,  as  compared  with  all  the  cities  of 
the  state,  we  are  head  and  shoulders  above  any.  For  example,  in  New  Haven 
there  is  one  certificated  child  to  every  twenty-two  between  fourteen  and  sixteen 
years  of  age;  in  Bridgeport  twenty-four  and  Hartford  thirty-one,  and  in  New 
Britain,  our  nearest  competitor,  thirty-seven,  while  Waterbury  has  only  one 
certificated  child  of  school  age  out  of  every  fifty  pupils  between  fourteen  and 
sixteen  years  of  age." 

FOREIGN-BORN    POPULATION 

"In  the  entire  city,  nearly  one-half,  or  50  per  cent,  of  the  pupils  in  school,  have 
parents  who  were  born  in  non-English  speaking  countries.  In  Bishop  Street,  Clay 
Street,  Croft,  Duggan  and  Barnard  schools  about  three-fourths  of  the  children 
have  parents  who  were  born  in  non-English  speaking  countries.  The  per  cents 
vary  all  the  way  from  yy  per  cent  at  Bishop  to  6  per  cent  at  Washington.  It  goes 
without  saying  that  those  schools  which  have  the  higher  per  cents  of  pupils  whose 
parents  were  born  in  non-English  speaking  countries  have  peculiar  problems  to 
solve  that  the  other  schools  do  not  have." 

The  average  enrollment  of  children  born  in  foreign  countries  is  about  12  per 
cent. 

PRIVATE    SCHOOLS 

Among  the  private  schools  running  in  1893,  the  most  important  was  "St.  Mar- 
garet's School  for  Girls,"  which  was  long  conducted  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Waterbury  School  Association,  a  private  organization  of  citizens,  and  in  1875  was 
presented  to  the  Episcopal  Diocese  of  Connecticut  for  a  Diocesan  School.  In 
1895,  Miss  Mary  R.  Hillard  was  placed  in  charge  and  remained  until  1908.  The 
school  is  still  running  successfully,  with  a  vastly  extended  curriculum.  It  is  now 
in  charge  of  Rev.  John  N.  Lewis,  Jr..  rector;  Emily  Gardner  Munro,  principal. 

In  1908,  Miss  Hillard  decided  to  establish  a  school  Tor  girls  at  Middlebury, 
Conn.,  and  interested  many  of  the  leading  men  and  women  in  Waterbury  in  this 
enterprise.  A  company  was  formed  with  John  H.  Whittemore  at  its  head  and  a 
magnificent  school  building  was  erected  in  Middlebury.  Of  this  the  architect  was 
Miss  Theodate  Pope,  now  Mrs.  John  Riddle,  and  it  is  one  of  the  model  school 
buildings  of  the  state,  its  cost  running  up  to  $100,000.  The  name  of  the  school 
is  "The  Westover." 

The  school  was  opened  in  the  spring  of  1909,  with  125  in  attendance,  some- 
thing over  actual  capacity.    It  has  been  run  successfully  ever  since.     Dr.  Mary  R. 


80  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Hillard  is  still  in  charge.  Its  attendance  this  year,  with  its  increased  capacity,  is 
150.  The  new  studio,  constructed  recently,  is  also  in  use.  Harris  Whittemore 
succeeded  his  father  as  president  of  the  Westover  School  Corporation. 

The  Academy  of  the  Convent  of  Notre  Dame  celebrated  its  quarter  centennial 
in  1894.  At  that  time  it  was  under  the  direction  of  Madam  St.  Stanislaus.  Today 
it  is  in  charge  of  Sister  Superior  St.  Faustina.    It  has  14  teachers  and  220  pupils. 

St.  Mary's  Parochial  School  was  established  August  29,  1886,  by  Father  Mul- 
cahy,  and  was  in  its  own  building  at  the  beginning  of  this  quarter  century,  1893. 
This  had  been  solemnly  blessed  on  September  3,  1888.  It  is  interesting  to  note 
that  during  his  entire  Waterbury  pastorate,  Father  Mulcahy  was  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Education  of  the  Center  district,  and  was  for  some  years  chairman  of 
the  board. 

Father  Mulcahy  also  built  the  convent,  in  1889.  In  its  first  year  the  school  had 
700  children,  in  charge  of  12  Sisters.  Sister  Superior  Rosita  was  then  superin- 
tendent of  the  school.  Monsignor  Slocum,  in  1902,  built  the  Mulcahy  Memorial, 
which  is  now  used  as  a  club  house  for  the  school  alumni  and  alumnae.  In  1905 
the  eight-room  grammar  school  was  built.  This  gives  the  school  at  present  twenty 
rooms.  The  attendance  in  191 7  is  950.  In  1916  it  was  1,050.  There  are  now 
twenty  Sisters  teaching,  in  charge  of  Sister  Superior  Claudine. 

Sister  Superior  Claudine  came  to  Waterbury  from  Convent  Station,  N.  J.,  in 
1897,  and  has  been  in  continuous  charge  since  then. 

The  record  of  parochial  schools  for  1917  is  as  follows: 

St  Mary's  Parochial  School  for  the  Parish  of  the  Immaculate  Conception — 
Sisters  in  charge,  20;  pupils,  1,100. 

School  of  the  Sacred  Heart  Convent — Sisters  in  charge,  9 ;  pupils  414. 

Parochial  School  of  St.  Ann's  Church — Sisters  in  charge,  17;  pupils,  600. 

Parochial  School  of  St.  Joseph's  Church  (Lithuanian) — Sisters  in  charge,  12; 
pupils,  578. 

Parochial  School  of  St.  Thomas  Church — Sisters  in  charge,  1 1  ;  pupils,  490. 

Academy  of  the  Convent  of  Notre  Dame — Sisters  in  charge,  14;  pupils,  220. 

Parochial  School  of  St.  Margaret's  Parish — Sisters  in  charge,  9 ;  pupils,  350. 
This  school  was  opened  in  1914. 

BERLIN    WRIGHT    TINKER 

Berlin  Wright  Tinker,  superintendent  of  schools  since  1897,  succeeded  to  the 
position  on  the  death  of  Superintendent  Crosby.  Thus  during  the  past  quarter 
century  there  have  been  but  two  men  in  active  charge  of  the  educational  work  of 
Waterbury. 

Mr.  Tinker  was  born  in  Jerusalem,  N.  Y.,  February  7,  1867,  and  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  Norwich,  where  his  father  was  the  minister  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church.  He  graduated  from  Bates  College,  then  took  a  year's 
special  course  at  Boston  University.  His  educational  work  began  as  principal  of 
the  High  School  at  Chelmsford,  Mass.  He  was  later  in  charge  of  the  high  schools 
at  Southborough,  Marblehead  and  Marlboro,  coming  to  Waterbury  in  1897.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  First  Church.  On  August  25,  1889,  he  was  married  to  Eliza- 
beth French  Wyer. 

The  long  record  of  progress,  of  wise  adjustment  to  conditions,  is  the  best 
tribute  that  can  be  paid  him.  He  has  not  alone  kept  the  schools  of  Waterbury  in 
the  forefront  of  America's  city  educational  institutions,  but  he  has,  by  original 
work,  contributed  materially  to  the  advance  of  educational  methods  everywhere. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY       81 

STEPHEN    WILLIAM    WILBY 

Stephen  William  Wilby  was  principal  of  the  Crosby  High  School  from  1896 
to  the  time  of  his  death,  March  30,  1917,  a  period  of  twenty-one  years  of  able 
service  to  the  city. 

He  was  born  at  Spencer,  Mass.,  November  27,  1865,  graduated  from  Montreal 
College  and  later  attended  Holy  Cross  College,  in  Worcester.  From  this  he  grad- 
uated, in  [888.  1  fe  began  teaching  in  Epiphany  College,  one  of  the  principal  acad- 
emies in  Baltimore,  and  later  at  St.  Andrews'  Seminary,  Rochester.  In  1895  he 
came  to  the  Waterbury  schools  and  was  appointed  principal  of  the  High  School 
in  [896. 

His  work  here  has  been  of  exceptional  value.  The  constant  yearly  increase  in 
attendance  necessitated  make-shifts  without  detracting  from  the  value  of  the 
school  work,  and  in  this  labor  he  demonstrated  a  rare  power  of  organization  and 
of  executive  ability. 

Many  additions  to  the  courses  were  recommended  by  him  when  the  work  of 
double  sessions  was  in  itself  enough  to  keep  his  mind  and  time  occupied,  showing 
that  nothing  could  deter  him  from  keeping  the  Crosby  High  School  up  to  standard. 

MINOT    SHERMAN    CROSBY 

Minot  Sherman  Crosby  was  connected  with  the  Waterbury  schools  from  1870 
to  1897,  the  year  of  his  death.  From  1870  to  1891  he  was  both  principal  of  the 
Waterbury  High  School  and  Superintendent  of  Schools.  In  1891  he  was  relieved 
of  the  high  school  work  and  confined  his  labors  to  superintending  the  schools  of 
the  Center  district.  He  was  born  in  Conway,  Mass.,  prepared  for  college  at 
Phillips  Academy,  and  graduated  from  Amherst.  For  ten  years  he  was  a  teacher  in 
the  public  schools  of  this  state  and  in  private  schools  in  Virginia  and  New  York. 
In  1861  he  became  principal  of  the  Hartford  Female  Seminary.  In  September, 
1870,  he  came  to  Waterbury.  His  work  here  was  of  exceptional  value  in  estab- 
lishing a  sound  foundation  for  the  great  growth  that  came  in  later  years. 

The  new  high  school,  completed  the  year  before  his  death,  was  named  Crosby, 
in  honor  of  his  long  years  of  useful  work  in  Waterbury. 

Till-:   NEW    WILBY   HIGH   SCHOOL 

At  present  the  sessions  in  the  Crosby  High  School  Building  are  divided,  as  fol- 
lows :  Crosby  High  pupils.  8  A.  M.  to  12:45  P-  M. ;  Wilby  High  pupils,  1  P.  M. 
to  5  P.  M.  The  Crosby  is  what  might  be  termed  the  Classical  High,  and  the  Wilby 
the  English,  Commercial  and  Household  Economics  school.  The  new  Wilby  High, 
which  will  cost  when  completed,  with  its  site  on  Pine  and  Grove  streets,  approxi- 
mately Si, 000,000.  will  be  ready  for  occupancy  in  T919.  The  building  will  accom- 
modate from  1,200  to  1,500  pupils.  The  architect,  L.  A.  Walsh, 'has  provided  for 
approximately  thirty-four  rooms.  It  will  be  a  fireproof  structure,  190  by  196  feet, 
on  the  so-called  hollow-square  plan,  the  rooms  being  arranged  about  the  .outside 
of  the  square,  with  the  assembly  hall  in  the  center.  The  exterior  provides  a  build- 
ing on  the  Tudor-Gothic  style,  built  of  red  rough  tapestry  brick  with  the  orna- 
mentation concentrated  about  the  main  front  entrance  and  the  two  Pine  Street 
entrances.  The  floors  of  corridors,  toilet  rooms,  lunch  room,  pool  room  and  lecker 
rooms  are  to  be  terrazo.  The  floors  of  all  other  rooms  are  to  be  maple.  The 
building  has  been  set  close  to  Pine  Street,  so  thai  the  approaches  for  pupils  from 
Grove  Street  may  be  made  on  an  easy  slope. 

Vol.  1—6 


82  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

SCHOOL  REGISTRATION  FOR  1917 

The  following  is  the  school  registration  for  1917: 

Crosby  High  School   897     Slocum    581 

Wilby  High  School 553     Sprague    473 

Abbott 171     Town  Plot 303 

Barnard    332     Walsh   1,092 

Begnal    415     Washington    : . . .  585 

Bishop    530     Webster   829 

Bunker  Hill 315     Welton   223 

Columbia    266     Maloney 622 

Croft 1,396     Bucks   Hill    40 

Driggs    800     Chapel    179 

Duggan 715      East  Farms 33 

Hamilton    90      East  Mountain   87 

Hendricken    384     Hopeville    127 

Merriman 583     Oronoke 16 

Mill  Plain   227      Park  Road 47 

Mulcahy    446     Reidville  107 

Newton  Heights 52  

Porter    230         Total   14,172 

Russell    426 

MEDICAL   INSPECTION 

The  medical  inspection  in  the  schools  of  Waterbury  dates  back  to  1898,  when 
the  first  eyesight  tests  were  made.  The  discovery  of  defective  vision  in  about  11 
per  cent  of  the  children  and  the  immediate  efforts  made  to  remedy  this  evil  led 
in  the  following  year  to  the  passage  of  a  state  act,  making  these  tests  compulsory 
in  all  schools  every  three  years. 

Medical  inspection  was  introduced  about  1907,  and  it  was  due  largely  to  the 
efforts  of  the  school  doctors  that  children  with  weak  lungs  were  segregated,  as 
far  as  possible,  and  that  the  Open  Air  School  was  started  in  191 2. 

Today  the  Dental  Association  of  Waterbury  devotes  some  time  to  inspection  of 
teeth.  The  school  physicians  for  19 17  are  Drs.  Charles  A.  Monagan  and  John  W. 
Fruin,  who  make  the  rounds  of  all  the  schools  of  the  city.  Two  nurses  are  also  in 
the  service  of  the  schools  and  work  either  in  the  homes  or  schools,  as  the  doctors 
advise. 

MARGARET    CROFT 

The  Board  of  Education  struck  a  tender  and  popular  chord  when  it  named  one 
of  its  latest  and  best  school  buildings  the  Margaret  Croft  School.  For  Margaret 
Croft  was  first  of  all  a  native  of  Waterbury,  and,  what  is  more  important,  one  of 
the  great  factors  in  the  advancement  of  its  schools. 

She  was  born  here,  January  25,  1835,  the  daughter  of  James  and  Polly  W. 
Croft.  Her  father  was  the  first  person  jn  Waterbury  who  had  been  trained  in  the 
art  of  making  gilt  buttons.  He  was  identified  with  this  industry  until  his  death, 
in  1S37. 

Margaret  Croft  graduated  at  Mount  Holyoke  Seminary  in  1855,  was  a  teacher 
in  Mississippi  in  1855  and  1856,  and  in  Georgia  from  1858  to  1861.  In  1863  she 
became  a  Waterbury  teacher,  and  her  work  was  of  such  exceptional  worth  that 


THK   MARGARET  CROFT  SCHOOL,  WATERBl'RY 


CROSB1    lllcil  SCHOOL,  WATERBURY 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  83 

she  was  later  appointed  assistant  principal  of  the  High  School,  which  position  she 
retained  until  1909,  when  she  retired.     She  died  August  20,  191 1. 

She  was  thus  connected  actively  with  the  schools  of  Waterhury  for  forty-six 
years,  and  had  during  that  long  period  been  one  of  the  greatest  of  Waterbury's 
educational  and  moral  influences. 

JOSEPH    P.    KENNEDY 

Joseph  P.  Kennedy,  the  principal  of  the  Wilby  High  School,  is  a  Waterbury 
boy.  He  was  born  here  March  28,  1877,  was  educated  in  the  Waterbury  public 
schools  and  later  graduated  from  St.  Mary's  College,  Emmitsburg,  Md.  He  came 
to  the  Waterbury  schools  as  a  substitute  teacher  in  1898,  and  in  February,  1900, 
was  made  teacher  of  mathematics  at  the  Crosby  High  School.  In  1914  he  was 
made  sub-master,  In  September,  1917,  he  was  appointed  principal  of  the  Wilby 
High  School. 

He  is  devoting  much  of  his  time  to  planning  improvements  for  the  Wilby  High 
School  Building,  which  is  to  be  ready  for  occupancy  in  1919. 

MICHAEL    C.    DONOVAN 

Michael  C.  Donovan,  principal  of  the  Crosby  High  School,  was  born  in 
Belvidere,  N.  Y.,  October  12,  1868,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  and  parochial 
schools  there  and  in  Wellsville,  N.  Y.  He  graduated  from  Niagara  University, 
Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y.,  in  1892  and  in  June,  1917,  his  college  gave  him  the  honorary 
degree  of  Litt.  D. 

He  received  his  Normal  training  in  the  Teachers'  College,  Buffalo.  For  two 
years  after  taking  this  course  he  worked  for  the  Standard  Oil  Company  at 
Lima  and  Findlay,  Ohio. 

In  1898  he  came  as  teacher  to  the  Crosby  High  School,  Wraterbury,  where 
he  has  been  ever  since.  In  September,  1904,  when  the  Department  of  English 
was  created  at  the  Crosby  High  School,  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  it. 

He  was  made  temporary  principal  on  March  15,  1917,  and  principal  May  1, 
1917. 

Mr.  Donovan  has  thus  been  connected  with  the  Waterbury  schools  for  nearly 
twenty  years,  and  throughout  that  period  has  given  valuable  service  to  its  pupils. 
He  is  a  strict  disciplinarian  and  has  done  much  to  advance  the  cause  of  education 
in  Waterbury. 

THE    DAVID    G.    PORTER    COLLEGE    BEQUEST 

David  G.  Porter,  born  in  Waterbury  March  8,  1833,  who  spent  most  of  an 
active  life  in  this  city,  died  October  7,  1905,  and  left  a  large  portion  of  his 
estate  for  the  founding  of  a  college.  He  knew  that  in  itself  it  would  not  suffice 
for  the  purpose  he  had  in  mind  and  in  his  will  he  states  that  "when  the  accumu- 
lation, increased  by  possible  contribution?,  donations  or  bequests  from  other 
sources,  shall  be  deemed  sufficient  for  the  purpose,  the  trustees  shall  establish  a 
school  or  college  on  the  portion  of  land  west  of  the  Meriden  Road,  to  be  operated 
according  to  the  following  plan : — 

"The  courses  of  study  in  the  institution  may  be  literary  and  classical,  or 
scientific  and  technical,  or  both,  but  shall  in  any  case  be  made  up  of  a  six-month 
winter  term  for  young  men,  extending  from  October  1st  to  April  1st,  these  dates 
being  movable  at  the  discretion  of  the  trustees,  but  so  as  to  comprise  not  less 


84  WATERBURY  AND  THE  XAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

than  six  months,  inclusive  of  a  holiday  recess  of  not  more  than  one  week,  and 
shall  be  arranged  so  as  to  rise  in  grade,  each  succeeding  term  or  year  above  the 
preceding,  and  covering  a  period  of  not  less  than  three,  nor  more  than  six  years. 

"The  courses  of  study  for  young  women  shall  be  made  up  of  summer  terms 
of  not  less  than  three  months  each,  and  shall  extend  over  a  period  of  not  more 
than  four  years ;  and  as  far  as  practicable,  special  prominence  shall  be  given  in 
these  courses  to  the  theory  and  practice  of  domestic  science,  literature  and 
modern  languages ;  and  a  study  of  the  constellations  of  the  visible  heavens,  and 
of  ornithology  shall  be  included." 

The  following  explanatory  paragraph  is  also  signed  by  the  testator  and  made 
a  part  and  parcel  of  the  will : 

''The  purpose  of  the  residuary  legacy  is  to  provide  for  the  beginning  of  a 
school,  or  college,  to  be  operated  on  a  plan  by  which  young  men  can  earn  during 
the  six  summer  months  what  they  will  need  to  spend  at  college  during  the  other 
six  months  of  the  year;  in  order  that  capable  young  men,  who  are  so  disposed, 
can  secure  a  liberal  education  independently,  and  of  their  own  resources,  without 
incurring  debt  or  the  risk  of  injury  to  health  by  attempting  double  work ;  and 
so  that  young  women  can  receive  such  instruction  in  college  courses  as  shall  be 
fitted  to  their  circumstances  and  needs  under  similar  conditions,  but  without 
what  is  termed  co-education." 

The  following  are  named  in  the  will  to  hold  the  property  in  trust  for  the 
above  purposes :  Cornelius  Tracy,  Albert  D.  Field,  Charles  L.  Holmes,  Edwy  E. 
Benedict,  Helen  P.  Camp  and  Margaret  Torrance  Holmes,  wife  of  Walter  W. 
Holmes. 

The  Waterbury  Trust  Company  was  elected  trustee  of  the  fund  on  July  26, 
1907.     It  now  approximates  $45,000. 

David  Porter  devoted  many  years  of  his  life  to  the  study  of  theological  and 
educational  questions.  Many  of  his  contributions  appeared  in  the  New  Christian 
Quarterly,  some  in  the  New  En°lander  and  the  Journal  of  Social  Science. 

After  the  publication  of  ''The  History  of  Waterbury,"  Mr.  Porter  published 
the  following:  "The  Elder  from  Ephesus,"  1897;  "The  Perversion  of  Funds 
in  the  Land  Grant  Colleges,"  1897;  "Religion  Straight  from  the  Bible,"  1902; 
"The  Kingdom  of  God."  1905. 

In  1904  Mr.  Porter  edited  and  contributed  largely  to  the  cost  of  publication 
of  a  volume  of  200  pages  entitled,  "A  Century  in  the  History  of  the  Baptist 
Church  in  Waterbury,  Conn."  Interesting  among  a  quantity  of  miscellaneous 
manuscript  is.  "The  English  Language  and  Its  Written  Expression." 

THE   SILAS    BRONJSON   LIBRARY 

Beginning  in  1869,  with  an  endowment  by  Silas  Bronson,  of  Middlebury,  of 
$200,000,  the  Silas  Bronson  Library  was  directed  for  some  years  according  to 
the  scholarly  ideas  then  prevailing,  and  fulfilled  its  function  as  a  storehouse  for 
the  preservation  of  rare  and  costly  books. 

Later,  the  pressure  of  democratic  tendencies  forced  it  into  line  with  a  move- 
ment directed  by  the  American  Library  Association  and  having  for  its  aim  "The 
best  books  for  the  largest  number  at  the  least  cost."  To  this  "library  move- 
ment." so-called,  is  due  the  present  system  of  free  libraries  supported  by  the 
people  and  appealing  to  them  under  the  democratic  title  of  "People's  Universi- 
ties." The  Bronson  Library  belongs  to  both  periods  and  shows  the  influence 
of  both. 

In  its  reference  department  are  rare  and  beautiful  works  such  as  the  early 


BROXSOX  LIBRARY,  WATERBURY 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY       85 

editions  of  Ruskin  valued  at  $200;  the  Versailles  gallery  of  pictures  in  13 
volumes,  quoted  at  $610;  Audubon's  "Birds  of  North  America,"  at  $500;  Tryon's 
"Manual  of  Conchology"  in  35  volumes,  valued  at  $700;  and  others  of  equal 
scarceness.  The  library  has  also  2.000  or  more  volumes  relating  to  local  history 
and  genealogy,  hooks  wisely  chosen  for  the  model  collection  which  now  attract 
visitors  from  all  parts  of  the  state. 

The  library  museum  contains  tine  mineral  specimens  exhibited  at  the  World's 
Fair  in  Chicago  and  secured  for  the  library  by  Cornelius  Tracy,  a  herbarium 
collected  by  H.  F.  Bassett  in  several  different  states,  1,000  coins  presented  by 
Nathan  Dikeman,  and  war  relics  from  southern  battlefields  and  the  Philippines. 
In  1906,  F.  J.  Kingsbury,  with  the  co-operation  of  the  Naturalist  Club,  presented 
a  fine  collection  of  New  England  birds  valued  at  about  twelve  hundred  dollars ; 
and  in  1910,  specimens  of  rare  •butterflies  beautifully  mounted,  were  given  by  the 
Misses  Merriman  and  Mrs.  F.  E.  Castle. 

The  aristocratic  period  of  development  ended  in  1900,  when  the  circulation  of 
books  fell  to  69,600  volumes  for  the  year,  although  in  the  first  year  of  the 
library's  establishment,  the  circulation  was  76,769  volumes  based  on  a  collection 
of  less  than  12,000  books. 

In  1902,  readers  were  for  the  first  time  admitted  to  the  shelves  of  the  book- 
room,  the  stringency  of  the  rules  for  borrowers  was  relaxed,  and  the  library 
became  at  once  a  popular  institution.  The  record  of  succeeding  years  has  been 
one  of  progress  along  democratic  lines,  and  the  issues  of  the  library  have  increased 
from  69,600  volumes  in  1900  to  nearly  400,000  volumes  in  19 17. 

An  unexpected  result  has  been  the  rapid  growth  in  the  reference  use  of  the 
library  by  the  masses  of  the  people.  A  few  years  ago  questions  involving 
research  of  any  sort  were  rarely  asked;  but  during  the  past  year  1,831  subjects 
were  referred  to  the  librarian  for  special  material.  The  use  of  the  library  is 
developed  through  a  special  department  cared  for  by  a  "readers'  "  information 
librarian,  who  aids  people  in  the  use  of  the  case  catalogue,  provides  material 
for  essays  and  debates,  and  answers  all  questions  requiring  special  knowledge, 
including  those  sent  by  telephone. 

From  this  department  is  issued  the  monthly  bulletin  of  the  library,  with 
lists  on  subjects  such  as  the  war,  new  thought,  books  about  Ireland,  technical 
books,  city  government  and  social  betterment,  while  the  bulletin  board  in  the 
hallway  calls  attention  to  books  relating  to  holidays  and  anniversaries  or  to  other 
topics  of  special  interest.  Postals  are  also  sent  out  notifying  persons  of  recent 
additions  in  certain  classes  of  literature. 

The  collection  of  pamphlets  numbering  some  fifty-five  thousand  is  an  impor- 
tant aid  in  information  work  and  includes  in  their  season  such  popular  features 
as  tourists'  guides  and  the  latest  catalogues  of  colleges  and  universities. 

Novel  readers  are  accommodated  by  a  collection  of  pay  duplicates,  and  atten- 
tion is -called  to  the  best  stories  in  many  lines  by  volumes  grouped  in  the  book- 
room  under  such  designations  as  Stories  of  Country  Life.  New  England  Stories, 
Ghost  Stories,  Civil  War  Stories,  and  One  Hundred  of  the  Best  Novels,  all  of 
which  have  their  special  patrons. 

Tiie  school  work  of  the  library  is  directed  by  a  trained  children's  librarian 
under  whose  care  are  the  children's  rooms  in  the  main  building,  and  the  branches, 
and  the  deposit  libraries  sent  each  year  to  every  grade  beginning  with  the  third  in 
seventeen  schoolhouses. 

In  the  Brooklyn  branch,  story-telling  as  a  method  of  interesting  children  in  the 
best  books  has  been  introduced  with  success,  and  boys'  as  well  as  girls'  reading 
clubs  are  in  the  process  of  formation. 


86  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

During  the  weeks  before  Christmas,  an  exhibition  of  the  books  most  loved 
by  children  is  always  arranged  at  the  main  library  and  invitations  to  visit  it  are 
sent  to  mothers  interested  in  selecting  books  as  gifts.  The  library  has  also  a  per- 
manent collection  of  books  for  story-telling  reserved  for  the  use  of  mothers  and 
teachers,  and  there  is  now  a  model  library  of  500  of  the  volumes  best  adapted  for 
supplementary  reading  in  the  schools. 

The  library  co-operates  with  teachers  in  many  ways,  lending  books  for  class- 
room use  and  providing  two  study  rooms  for  young  essay  writers  and  for  those 
working  on  material  for  debates.  There  is  also  a  lending  collection  of  pictures 
patronized  by  teachers;  by  students  of  design;  and,  as  to  the  portraits,  by  writers 
for  the  newspapers. 

From  these  examples,  it  will  be  seen  that  by  following  after  and  supplying  the 
popular  demand,  the  Silas  Bronson  Library  has  achieved  a  great  increase  in  use- 
fulness and  is  committed  to  many  new  lines  of  activity.  It  has  now,  including 
school  libraries  and  branches,  nineteen  outside  agencies  for  the  distribution  of 
books  and  each  of  these  is  the  nucleus  for  increasing  usefulness.  Twenty  assistants 
are  employed,  though,  a  few  years  ago,  seven  sufficed. 

The  new  building  in  Library  Park  on  Grand  Street,  was  opened  in  1894.  The 
Children's  Room  was  opened  in  1898.  Miss  Helen  Sperry  was  appointed  librarian 
in  1906.  The  stack  room  was  opened  to  the  public  in  1902.  Books  have  been 
sent  to  the  schools  since  1903. 

The  branches  were  established  as  follows : 

Waterville,  1907. 

South  Waterbury,  opened  1908;  closed,  1912. 

Brooklyn,  opened  1909. 

Rose  Hill,  opened   1913. 

There  were  in  the  library  on  January  1,  19 17,  100,345  books. 

The  board  of  agents  of  the  Bronson  Library  consists  of  twelve  electors  of 
the  city,  two  of  whom  are  elected  at  each  biennial  city  election,  to  hold  office 
for  a  period  of  twelve  years  from  the  fourth  day  of  July  next  following  their 
election. 

The  board  of  agents  of  the  Bronson  Library  are  legally  constituted  agents 
of  the  City  of  Waterbury,  with  full  power  to  collect,  invest,  expend,  manage  and 
control  the  Bronson  Library  Fund  and  the  income  therefrom,  and  to  establish, 
regulate  and  manage  the  Bronson  Library. 

Following  are  the  officers : 

Martin  Scully,  president;  Lewis  A.  Piatt,  secretary;  Otis  S.  Northrop,  treas- 
urer; Helen  Sperry,  librarian. 

The  board  of  agents  at  present  is  as  follows : 

Charles  H.  Swenson,  Mark  L.  Sperry,  James  E.  Russell,  Otis  S.  Northrop, 
John  O'Neill,  Terrence  F.  Carmody,  John  P.  Kellogg,  Francis  P.  Guilfoile, 
Lewis  A.  Piatt,  Bernard  A.  Fitzpatrick,  James  S.  Elton,  Martin  Scully. 

THE  MATTATUCK   HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

It  appears  from  the  brief  record  in  the  "History  of  Waterbury,"  by  Dr.  Joseph 
Anderson,  that  an  historical  society  was  projected  by  some  of  its  citizens  in 
1875,  "but  the  scheme  did  not  take  definite  shape  until  1877,  the  bicentennial  of 
the  settlement  of  the  town,  when  special  interest  in  local  history  was  aroused." 

The  origin  of  the  society  as  related  in  the  first  entry  in  its  records  was  as 
follows :  "Upon  an  invitation  signed  by  F.  J.  Kingsbury,  Joseph  Anderson,  and 
H.  F.  Bassett,  the  following  named  gentlemen  met  at  the  rooms  of  the  Waterbury 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY       87 

Scientific  Society  on  the  evening  of  December  22,  1877,  for  the  organization  of 
an  historical  society:  F.  J.  Kingsbury,  Rev.  Joseph  Anderson,  Prof.  Isaac  |en- 
nings,  E.  L.  Brown,  S.  W.  Kellogg,  George  E.  Terry,  N.  |.  Welton,  Anson  G. 
Stocking,  Rev.  E.  G.  l'.eekwith.  I).  I).,  Prof.  M.  S.  Crosby,  H.  F.  Bassett." 

The  constitution  adopted  at  that  meeting  gave  as  its  purpose  the  collection  and 
preservation  "of  whatever,  in  the  opinion  of  its  members,  may  serve  to  explain 
or  illustrate  the  history,  civil  or  ecclesiastical,  the  archaeology,  or  the  natural 
history  of  the  State  of  Connecticut,  and  especially  the  region  originally  included 
in  the  Town  of  Waterbury  and  formerly  known  as  Mattatuck."  There  were 
twenty  signers.  In  addition  to  those  already  mentioned,  these  were:  Israel 
Holmes,  D.  L.  Durand.  David  B.  Hamilton,  S.  M.  Terry,  G.  W.  Tucker,  S.  B. 
Terry,  Robert  W.  Hill,  Fred  A.  Mason,  Gideon  L.  Piatt,  George  W.  Cook, 
C.  M.  Piatt,  James  O.  Cook,  Guernsey  S.  Parsons,  George  R.  Welton,  John  O'Neill, 
Jr..  Israel  Coe.  Mr.  Kingsbury  was  its  first  president  and  Geo.  A.  Tucker  its 
first  secretary. 

In  May,  1896,  a  collection  of  stone  implements,  representing  the  American 
Indian,  was  shown  at  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  This  was  purchased  by  Elisha  Leaven- 
worth and  Cornelius  Tracy,  and  placed  on  the  upper  floor  of  the  Bronson  Library. 
Mr.  Leavenworth  announced  that  he  would  provide  for  its  proper  housing  in  a 
new  building,  which  was  to  be  a  museum  in  charge  of  the  Historical  Society. 

Later,  for  the  purpose  of  officially  receiving  this  and  other  like  gifts,  "The 
Mattatuck  Historical  Society"  was  incorporated,  February  14,  1902,  with  the  fol- 
lowing incorporators :  Frederick  J.  Kingsbury,  Joseph  Anderson,  Anna  L.  Ward, 
Katherine  A.  Prichard,  David  G.  Porter,  John  G.  Davenport  and  Charles  L. 
Holmes.  Its  first  officers  after  incorporation  were  :  President,  Frederick  J.  Kings- 
bury ;  vice  presidents,  Joseph  Anderson,  Sarah  J.  Prichard ;  treasurer,  Charles  L. 
Holmes ;  secretary,  Katherine  A.  Prichard ;  directors,  John  G.  Davenport,  Anna  L. 
Ward,  David  G.  Porter. 

Beginning  with  the  annual  meeting  of  December  10,  1902,  the  organization  met 
regularly  on  the  second  Monday  of  March,  June,  October  and  December.  Before 
it  had  its  own  building,  these  meetings  were  held  in  the  conference  room  of  the 
First  Church,  and  from  October,  1907,  to  June,  1910,  at  the  home  of  President 
Kingsbury. 

On  June  8,  1904,  the  society  received  from  Elisha  Leavenworth  a  gift  of 
x$to.ooo,  and  on  October  10,  1007,  he  purchased  and  presented  to  the  society  the 
ethnological  and  archaeological  library  collected  by  Dr.  Joseph  Anderson.  This 
consisted  of  several  thousand  books  and  pamphlets  relating  to  the  races  of  men, 
the  stone  age  in  Europe  and  America,  and  the  American  Indian. 

The  death  of  President  Kingsbury  occurred  September  30,  1910,  and  Dr.  Joseph 
Anderson  succeeded  him  at  the  following  annual  meeting  in  December,  19 10. 

By  the  will  of  Elisha  Leavenworth,  who  died  January  6,  191 1,  the  society  was 
bequeathed  ample  funds  with  which  to  purchase  its  own  home.  On  June  14.  191 1, 
therefore,  the  first  meeting  was  held  in  what  had  been  known  as  the  Ludington 
Place  on  West  Main  Street,  and  which  had  been  purchased  for  $co,ooo.  Later  in 
this  year  the  society  purchased  the  ground  adjoining  it,  on  Kendrick  Street, 
26J/2  by  TT2  feet,  and  in  1912  erected  the  present  Museum  Building,  which  is 
50  feet  wide  and  62  feet  long.  This  building1,  by  Architects  Gripes  and  Hunt,  of 
Waterbury,  is  connected  with  the  house  fronting  on  West  Main  Street  by  a  broad 
hall  and  marble  steps.  It  is  three  stories  in  height,  with  an  auditorium  on  the  top 
floor,  which  has  been  regularly  used  since  1912  for  the  six  successive  picture 
exhibitions  of  the  society.  The  main  floor  and  a  large  part  of  the  first  floor  are 
set  apart  for  museum  purposes. 


88  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

The  basement  at  the  present  time  is  devoted  to  those  articles  which  have  not 
as  yet  been  placed  on  exhibition,  or  which  are  too  large  to  permit  of  their  occu- 
pying space  in  the  main  museum.  Among  the  articles  to  be  found  there  are  a 
carpet  loom  which  was  built  into  a  house  on  Hunter  Mountain,  Naugatuck,  and 
which  had  to  be  taken  to  pieces  to  be  removed  from  its  former  home  to  its  present 
position :  also  the  first  carriage  ever  seen  in  Waterbury. 

On  the  top  floor  is  the  lecture  hall  of  the  society.  This  is  fitted  with  proper 
lighting  apparatus  for  a  picture  gallery.  The  first  painting  received  toward  a 
permanent  collection  is  "A  Road  Near  the  Sea,"  by  William  Langsen  Lathrop. 

But  the  room  in  which  much  interest  centers  is  the  museum  occupying  the 
main  floor  of  the  building.  In  this  there  are  twenty-one  cases,  sixteen  arranged 
in  rows  on  either  side  of  the  room,  twelve  being  table  cases,  four  table  and  wall 
cases  combined,  and  the  other  five  being  centrally  placed.  The  wall  cases,  which 
occupy  the  space  at  the  further  end  of  the  hall,  are  memorial  cases  dedicated  to 
Col.  Jonathan  Baldwin,  Miss  Sarah  J.  Prichard,  Bennet  Bronson  and  Deacon 
Aaron  Benedict.  These  were  presented  by  Miss  Katherine  L.  Peck,  Miss 
Katherine  A.  Prichard,  J.  Hobart  Bronson  and  Mrs.  Gilman  C.  Hill. 

Since  1914,  three  memorial  cases  have  been  added,  the  gifts  of  the  Kingsbury 
family,  the  descendants  of  Wm.  H.  Scovill  and  the  Henry  W.  Scovills. 

The  late  Doctor  Anderson  so  skillfully  arranged  the  exhibition  that  in  passing 
down  the  east  side  of  the  room,  the  visitor  sees  first  relics  from  ancient  Babylonia 
and  Assyria,  then  comes  the  neolithic  collection,  mostly  from  Denmark,  followed 
by  the  American  prehistoric  collection  arranged  geographically.  The  modern 
American  Indian  collection  presents  a  pleasing  contrast  to  that  of  the  prehistoric 
collection.  The  part  played  by  the  white  man  in  American  history  is  represented 
by  a  collection  of  wonderful  laces,  silk  garments,  lace  collars,  traveling  bags, 
together  with  autographs  and  documents  of  various  sorts, — the  niceties  of  the 
white  man's  civilization  which  he  early  introduced  into  the  rough  country  he  had 
chosen  for  his  new  home. 

The  cases  along  the  west  side  of  the  room  are  devoted  mostly  to  the  collection 
of  Revolutinary  and  Civil  war  relics,  a  miscellaneous  collection  of  Waterbury  and 
other  relics,  a  miscellaneous  collection  of  shells  and  the  mineralogical  collection 
which  has  been  loaned  by  the  Bronson  Library. 

Several  of  the  collections  either  have  been  donated  or  loaned  by  Waterbury 
people  who  have  a  deep  interest  in  historical  Waterbury.  The  prehistoric  col- 
lection from  Nova  Scotia  was  given  by  W.  W.  Holmes,  the  Prince  Edward  Island 
collection  by  H.  W.  Hayden ;  the  ethnological  collection  of  modern  Indians  by 
H.  H.  Peck,  the  modern  Indian  industry  collection  by  Cornelius  Tracy,  the  Hayden 
collection  of  modern  Indian  industry  by  Mrs.  Shirley  Fulton,  the  Bienstadt  col- 
lection of  modern  Indian  industry  by  Miss  Caroline  Piatt,  the  collection  of  old 
laces  by  the  Misses  Kingsbury,  the  lace  and  shawl  collection  by  Miss  Katherine 
A.  Prichard,  and  several  other  collections,  including  the  Cowles  collection  of 
pistols  and  the  Peck  collection  of  swords  are  to  be  found  there. 

The  Babylonian  and  Assyrian  tablets  are  of  various  ages,  from  the  most 
remote  period  down  to  the  time  of  Darius.  They  contain  records  of  prayers  and 
hymns,  astrological  notes,  omens,  lists  of  sacrifices,  wills,  contracts,  sales  of  lands, 
receipts  for  loans,  legal  proceedings,  with  many  other  commercial  and  religious 
matters.     Some  of  them  bear  their  exact  date. 

The  paleolithic  collection,  which  is  next  in  order,  includes  some  of  the  oldest 
known  implements.  Most  of  these  are  from  France,  the  collection  of  French 
polished  stone  and  flint  implements  found  near  Amiens  and  the  Chellean  imple- 
ments taken  from  the  gravel  of  the  River  Somme,  the  site  where  many  remark- 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  89 

able  chipped  hand  implements  have  been  found,  being  examples  of  what  this  part 
of  the  collection  has  to  offer. 

The  neolithic  collection  is  made  up  mostly  of  Danish  implements  of  much 
superior  quality  to  the  paleolithic  collection.  Celts,  polished  and  unpolished, 
stone  axes  and  gouges,  flint  axes,  chipped  spears,  and  knives  and  perfected  axes 
tell  the  story  of  human  progress. 

The  American  prehistoric  collection,  that  gathered  largely  by  Doctor  Ander- 
son, occupies  five  entire  cases  and  in  this  all  parts  of  the  United  States  are  rep- 
resented. 

The  Nova  Scotia  collection,  the  gift  of  W.  W.  Holmes,  and  the  Prince  Edward 
Island  collection,  the  gift  of  H.  W.  Hayden,  are  followed  by  the  Maine  collection, 
which  was  the  result  of  the  explorations  of  W.  K.  Moorehead.  The  New  Hamp- 
shire and  Vermont  collection  of  arrow  heads,  stone  and  iron  axes,  celts,  medals, 
pipes,  etc.  About  the  same  things  are  to  be  found  in  the  collections  from  Massa- 
chusetts and  Rhode  Island. 

The  Connecticut  collection,  which  is  quite  extensive,  is  arranged  according  to 
the  various  divisions  of  the  state.  The  eastern  division  includes  such  towns  and 
cities  as  Sterling,  Stonington,  Putnam,  Mystic  and  Jewett  City.  In  the  central 
division  are  East  Hartford,  Torrington.  Windsor  Hill.  Then  comes  a  division 
which  includes  the  vicinity  about  New  Haven,  and  last  is  the  division  included  in 
the  vicinity  about  Waterbury.  From  the  New  Haven  vicinity,  especially  from 
West  Haven  and  Woodmont,  the  home  of  Doctor  Anderson,  are  many  arrow- 
heads broken  in  the  making.  More  abundant  than  arrowheads  are  these  so-called 
"rejects,"  the  failures  in  arrow  making.  They  are  stones  which  proved  too 
obdurate  to  work.  Besides  containing  the  usual  Indian  relics,  the  collection  from 
the  vicinity  about  Waterbury  includes  pieces  of  wood  taken  from  a  considerable 
depth  and  bearing  the  marks  of  having  been  cut  with  some  blunt  instrument. 
The  depth  at  which  they  were  found,  and  also  the  fact  that  they  are  petrified, 
shows  that  they  were  cut  and  buried  centuries  ago. 

The  collection  from  the  other  states  of  the  Union  include  numerous  articles 
of  interest.  New  York,  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  Delaware,  Virginia,  West 
Virginia,  North  Carolina,  Georgia,  Florida,  the  gulf  states,  Tennessee,  Ken- 
tucky, the  Ohio  River  Valley  states,  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  Arkansas, 
Iowa,  Missouri,  Oklahoma,  the  Rocky  Mountain  states, — in  short,  every  part  of 
the  Union  has  contributed  something  toward  the  American  prehistoric  collection 
now  in  the  museum  of  the  Mattatuck  Historical  Society.  The  various  sections  of 
the  country  have  contributed  articles  of  various  types.  The  South  has  furnished 
many  articles  in  the  pottery  line,  the  western  states  have  furnished  large  and 
heavy  stone  articles.  From  Oregon  the  collection  of  chipped  implements  and  orna- 
ments of  jasper,  agate,  carnelian,  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  Indian  collections 
in  existence.    This  is  the  gift  of  Irving  IT.  Chase. 

At  the  southern  end  of  the  museum  are  the  combined  table  and  wall  cases.  In 
the  first  part  of  the  wall  cases  is  exhibited  the  portrait  of  Col.  Jacob  Kingsbury, 
a  member  of  the  Society  of  Cincinnati.  This  portrait  was  painted  by  Waldo 
about  1810,  and,  together  with  the  certificate  of  membership  in  that  society,  was 
loaned  by  the  Misses  Kingsbury.  The  lace  collection,  including  specimens  of  old 
Spanish  blonde  of  the  seventeenth  century.  Point  de  Milan  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  Flemish  pillow  lace,  also  of  the  eighteenth  century,  and  Point  d'Alenqon 
of  the  seventeenth  century,  was  also  loaned  by  the  Misses  Kingsbury,  and  occupies 
one  of  the  table  cases. 

Of  much  interest  is  the  case  of  old  deeds,  Indian  deeds  relating  to  the  settle- 
ment of  Mattatuck,  proprietors'  records,  etc.,  a  note  book  belonging  to  Rev.  John 


90  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Southmayd  when  at  Harvard  College,  in  1694,  being  of  special  value.    Here  also 
are  the  ear  bones  of  Rev.  John  Southmayd,  preserved  in  a  tiny  bottle. 

The  Hayden  collection,  the  gift  of  Mrs.  Shirley  Fulton  in  memory  of  her 
father,  contains  many  fine  specimens  of  modern  Indian  industry.  This  collection 
occupies  two  cases.  Across  the  aisle  from  this  is  the  Bienstadt  collection,  the 
gift  of  Miss  Caroline  Piatt.  Miss  Katherine  A.  Prichard  has  loaned  various 
family  heirlooms,  including  the  wedding  veil  worn  by  her  mother  in  1827,  and 
also  a  beautifully  embroidered  silk  shawl. 

An  idea  of  the  dress  of  the  early  American  women  is  given  by  two  calashes, 
which  were  worn  by  elderly  women  over  their  caps,  and  traveling  bags,  one  of 
which  was  embroidered  in  1838  by  Cornelia  M.  Johnson.  These  articles  have 
been  loaned  by  Mrs.  G.  C.  Hill.  Some  valuable  autographs,  various  old  publica- 
tions, early  bank  bills  and  a  few  miscellaneous  articles  complete  the  exhibition 
contained  in  the  memorial  cases.    These  were  all  loaned  by  Mrs.  Gilman  C.  Hill. 

The  Revolutionary  and  Civil  war  relics,  including  bayonets,  swords,  revolvers, 
pistols,  cannon  balls,  canteens,  irons,  shells  and  the  like,  fill  several  cases.  The 
valuable  collection  of  pistols,  assembled  by  Pierre  C.  Cowles,  and  the  collection 
of  rare  swords,  presented  by  H.  H.  Peck,  follow  in  the  cases  next  to  the  war 
relics.  There  are  examples  of  stone  heads,  idols  and  pottery  from  Mexico  ,->nd 
Central  America,  and  weapons,  pipes  and  other  modern  Indian  articles  presented 
by  H.  H.  Peck.  The  Cornelius  Tracy  collection  of  specimens  pertaining  to 
modem  Indian  industry  offers  many  interesting  examples. 

In  the  miscellaneous  collection,  there  are  several  articles  of  close  and  deep 
association  to  Waterbury  people.  Among  these  are  the  latches  from  the  doors 
of  St.  John's  Church,  built  in  1797,  wrought  iron  nails  from  th<=  Hiram  Upson 
house  in  Platts  Mills,  old  tallow  candle  dips,  a  collection  of  historic  and  political 
medals,  all  of  deep  interest  locally. 

In  19 1 6  James  Terry  of  New  Haven  and  Hartford  loaned  the  society  his  valu- 
able Washington  collection.  This  contains,  among  other  articles,  the  banouet 
table  used  by  Washington  to  entertain  his  officers  after  the  Battle  of  Yorktown. 
It  was  bought  in  1775  from  the  Fairfax  family  and  taken  to  Mount  Vernon. 
There  are  also  in  the  collection  the  sideboard,  breakfast  table  and  a  porch  chair 
from  Mount  Vernon,  many  broadsides  and  a  considerable  quantity  of  valuable 
porcelain.  The  collection  also  contains  a  Thomas  Jefferson  chair,  used  by  that 
statesman  at  Monticello. 

A  tablet  was  erected  in  1916  at  Sled  Haul  Brook  on  the  cemetery  road  in 
memory  of  the  first  Waterbury  settlers. 

The  tablet  to  Elisha  Leavenworth  was  placed  in  the  Historical  Society  Build 
ing  in  1917. 

On  November  7,  191 7,  the  society  numbered  960  active  members.  The  honor- 
ary membership  list  is  as  follows : 

Henry  Bronson,  M.  D.,  New  Haven,  from  June  3,  1878,  until  his  death, 
November  26,  1803. 

Horace  Hotchkiss,  Plainfield,  New  Jersey,  from  June  3,  1878,  until  his  death, 
March  9,  1879. 

Elisha  Leavenworth,  from  December  10,  1902,  until  his  death,  January  6.  191  t. 

Franklin  Carter,  LL.  D.,  Williamstown,  Mass.,  elected  December  14,  1910. 

Katherine  A.  Prichard,  elected  January  24,  191 2. 

Constance  G.  DuBois,  elected  October  8,  1913. 

The  income  of  the  Society,  apart  from  fees  paid  on  admission  to  membership 
and  the  annual  dues,  is  derived  almost  entirely  from  the  Leavenworth  bequest. 
The  gift  of  $to,ooo,  conveyed  to  the  society  in  1904,  had  at  the  time  of  his  death 
increased  to  $15,000.    He  left  by  his  will  $40,000  for  the  purchase  of  the  land  and 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  91 

the  house  which  the  Society  now  occupies,  and  $50,000  for  income,  and  also 
made  the  Society  one  of  the  first  residuary  legatees.  The  total  bequest  is  placed 
at  about  $175,000. 

The  present  officers  of  the  Society  are  as  follows:  President,  Arthur  Reed 
Kimball ;  vice  presidents,  John  Prince  Elton,  Mark  Leavenworth  Sperry ;  secre- 
tary, Henry  Lincoln  Rowland;  treasurer,  Charles  Leland  Holmes;  curator,  Walter 
Wetmore  Holmes;  assistant 'secretary,  Lucy  Peck  Bush;  assistant  treasurer, 
C.  Sanford  Bull;  assistant  curator,  Lucy  Peck  Bush;  assistant,  Catherine  W. 
Pierce. 

Annual  directors:  Arthur  Reed  Kimball,  John  Prince  Elton.  Henry  Lincoln 
Rowland,  Carl  Eugene  Munger,  Charles  Leland  Holmes. 

Permanent  directors:  To  serve  until  January,  1919,  Charles  F.  Chapin  and 
Frederick  G.  Mason;  to  serve  until  January,  1920,  Mark  L.  Sperry  and  Hugh 
L.  Thompson;  to  serve  until  January,  1921,  Harris  Whittemore;  to  serve  until 
January,  1922,  Robert  F.  Griggs  and  Nathaniel  R.  Bronson ;  to  serve  until  Janu- 
ary, 1923,  Wallace  H.  Camp  and  Frederick  S.  Chase. 

The  membership  committee  consists  of :  Frederick  G.  Mason,  chairman ;  Wal- 
lace H.  Camp,  Katherine  D.  Hamilton,  Merritt  Heminway,  Walter  Makepeace, 
Almira  C.  Twining. 

House  committee :  Frederick  S.  Chase,  chairman  ;  Martha  R.  Driggs,  Alice 
E.  Kingsbury,  Hugh  L.  Thompson,  Cornelius  Tracy. 

Meetings  committee :  Arthur  Reed  Kimball,  chairman ;  Mrs.  Frederick  S. 
Chase,  Charles  A.  Dinsmore,  John  P.  Elton,  Edith  D.  Kingsbury,  Mary  B.  Bur- 
rail,  Harris  Whittemore. 

Museum  committee :  Walter  W.  Holmes,  chairman ;  George  A.  Goss,  Cather- 
ine H.  Grigsrs,  Alice  E.  Kingsbury,  Katherine  L.  Peck,  Mrs.  Walter  D.  Make- 
peace, Mrs.  Nelson  A.  Pomeroy,  Mrs.  Augustin  A.  Crane. 

Memorial  committee :  Edwin  S.  Hunt,  chairman ;  Mrs.  William  F.  Chatfield, 
Darragh  DeLancey,  Florentine  H.  Hayden,  Katherine  A.  Prichard,  Anna  L. 
Ward.' 

Finance  committee :    Robert  F.  Griggs,  Henry  L.  Rowland. 


CHAPTER  VII 
TRANSPORTATION   AND   COMMUNICATION 

THREE  NOTABLE  INDUSTRIAL  TRIUMPHS ELIMINATION  OF  GRADE  CROSSINGS EREC- 
TION OF  THE  UNION  DEPOT — DOUBLE-TRACKING  THE  ROADS  ENTERING  WATERBURY 

COST   OF   IMPROVEMENTS    MADE   IN    A  DECADE   IN    WATERBURY's   TERMINALS 

RAMIFICATION  OF  THE  TROLLEY  SYSTEM ITS  GROWTH   FROM  HORSE  CAR  LINE  TO 

THE  NETWORK  OF  PRESENT   EXTENSIONS THE  GREEN   LINE TELEGRAPH,  TELE- 
PHONE AND  EXPRESS. 

In  the  quarter  century  which  is  now  ending,  Waterbury  has  won  by  consistent 
agitation,  by  many  cheerfully-made  concessions,  and  in  several  instances  by 
appeals  to  the  State  Railroad  Commission,  to  the  Public  Utilities  Board,  and  to 
the  courts,  three  notable  industrial  triumphs. 

These  are  the  complete  elimination  of  all  railroad  grade  crossings,  the  build- 
ing of  a  new  Union  Station  with  vastly  increased  yard  facilities,  and  the  double- 
tracking  of  the  railroad  lines  entering  the  city. 

The  agitation  for  a  Union  Station  began  in  1889.  This  was  a  demand  not 
only  for  the  station,  but  for  the  elimination  of  all  grade  crossings  and  separation 
of  grades  on  the  Naugatuck  Division  of  the  New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford 
Road.  In  1893  an  agreement  was  reached  by  which  the  railroad  consented  to  the 
construction  of  "a  wooden  depot  to  cost  $25,000." 

Such  was  the  beginning  and  such  the  first  concession  made  to  the  persistent 
appeals  of  Waterbury's  citizens. 

At  that  time,  1893,  the  act  covering  the  abolition  of  grade  crossings  had  been 
in  effect  four  years,  and  Waterbury  was  on  the  alert  to  secure  its  share  of  these 
improvements,  for  the  new  law  required  a  reduction  of  at  least  one  grade  cross- 
ing each  year  for  every  sixty  miles  of  road  owned  or  operated  within  the  state. 
In  1909,  twenty  years  after  the  passage  of  the  act,  there  remained  only  six  cross- 
ings at  grade  between  Naugatuck  Junction  and  Waterbury.  Of  these,  three 
were  in  Milford,  two  in  Derby  and  Ansonia,  and  one  in  Naugatuck.  When  this 
work  was  completed  in  191 1,  it  was  asserted  by  the  state  officers  that  the  im- 
provements ordered  by  this  law  on  elimination  of  grade  crossings  had  cost  the 
New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad  $7,725,304. 

In  1898  the  city  won  its  first  great  victory  in  this  contest.  The  State  Rail- 
road Commission,  in  its  report  for  that  year,  states  that  "Bank  Street,  which 
formerly  crossed  the  railroad  at  grade,  has  been  carried  under  it,  in  accordance 
with  a  decree  of  the  Superior  Court,  dated  November  14,  1888,  made  on  an 
appeal  from  an  order  of  the  State  Railroad  Commission.  This  eliminates  the 
most  dangerous  grade  in  the  city."  This  refers  to  Bank  Street  at  its  entrance 
into  the  Brooklyn  district. 

The  victory,  which  took  ten  years  to  gain,  had  an  immediate  influence  in 
effecting  a  further  agreement  between  the  city  and  the  railroad.  In  that  year, 
1898,  the  upper  Waterville  Road,  leading  from  Waterbury  to  Waterville,  was 
carried  under  the  railroad.     The  City  of  Waterbury  paid  one-half  the  expense 

92 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  93 

of  the  change,  the  highway  having  heen  built  since  the  location  and  construction 
of  the  railroad. 

The  trolley  catastrophe  of  November  29,  1907,  was  a  terrible  demonstration 
of  the  necessity  of  the  elimination  of  grade  crossings.  An  Oakville  bound  trolley 
car  was  completely  wrecked  by  a  north-bound  freight  at  the  West  Main  Street 
car  crossing  over  the  tracks  of  the  1  [ighland  and  Naugatuck  Division.  Five  were 
killed  and  twenty-four  injured  in  this  wreck.  The  responsibility  for  this  disaster 
was  placed  on  the  employees  of  both  the  trolley  company  and  the  railroads. 

In  October,  1899.  the  company  and  the  city  agreed  on  increased  protection  at 
the  West  Main  and  Porter  Street  crossings.  Guarded  gates  were  eventually 
placed,  both  at  the  point  where  West  Main  Street  crosses  the  tracks  of  the  Nauga- 
tuck Division  and  at  the  point  where  Porter  Street  crosses  the  Highland  Division. 

In  1902,  the  work  of  double-tracking  the  road  into  Waterbury  began.  This 
task  had  been  completed  to  a  point  south  of  Derby  Junction  and  was  now  under- 
taken for  the  stretch  of  road  from  Derby  to  Waterbury.  On  September  16,  1904, 
the  railroad,  at  the  urgent  solicitation  of  city  officers,  began  the  construction  of 
the  viaduct  over  the  Upper  Waterville  Road  at  Waterville,  thus  removing  a 
dangerous  crossing. 

In  1906  began  the  work  of  double-tracking  the  stretch  of  road  between 
Waterbury  and  Bristol.  In  191 1  this  work  was  completed.  It  involved  the 
elimination  of  all  grade  crossings  between  Waterbury  and  Bristol,  the  straight- 
ening of  the  line,  the  construction  of  a  tunnel  3,500  feet  long,  and  the  forming 
of  a  continuous  double  track  line  between  Hartford  and  Waterbury. 

Now.  too.  came  the  period  of  heavier  engines  and  heavier  traffic,  and  a  change 
in  the  construction  of  railroad  bridges  was  imperative.  By  1910,  practically  all 
the  wooden  bridges  on  the  Naugatuck  and  Highland  divisions  had  been  replaced 
by  steel  or  thoroughly  strengthened.  This  was  no  small  task,  for  there  were 
thirty-two  of  these  wooden  bridges  between  Waterbury  and  Meriden  alone.  This 
is  all  steel  construction  now. 

In  1910,  the  steel  bridge  built  over  the  Potatuck  River,  near  Sandy  Hook 
Station,  replaced  the  last  wooden  bridge  existing  on  the  Highland  Division  west 
of  Waterbury. 

In  its  report  of  1909  on  the  Union  Station  improvements,  the  State  Railroad 
Commission  said :  "The  Union  Passenger  Station  of  Waterbury  has  been  erected 
at  a  cost  of  $332,000.  The  expenditure  for  other  improvements  in  the  city  of 
Waterbury,  including  the  new  freight  houses,  freight  yards,  additional  tracks, 
elimination  of  crossings,  purchase  of  property,  etc.,  up  to  June  30,  1909,  amounted 
to  $1,623,000,  and  it  is  estimated  that  $150,000  more  will  be  needed  to  complete 
the  improvements.     The  total  expense  will  go  over  $2,000,000." 

For  the  past  three  years  the  improvements  made  by  the  New  York,  New 
Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad  have  been  largely  in  the  line  of  extending  the  yards, 
and  in  the  building  of  industrial  trackage. 

During  the  war  period, — three  years, — the  road  has  built  approximately  seven 
miles  of  sidings  in  Waterbury.  Fully  two  miles  were  constructed  for  Scovill's, 
a  mile  for  the  Chase  W'orks,  and  fully  half  a  mile  for  the  American  Brass  Com- 
pany. The  extensions  to  the  yards  have  increased  the  facilities  so  that  five  hun- 
dred additional  cars  can  be  accommodated. 

But  the  tremendous  freight  business  of  the  past  three  years  has  necessitated 
many  improvements  along  the  line-  leading  to  Waterbury,  in  the  way  of  running 
side  tracks,  of  extending  yards  at  outlying  points,  of  further  strengthening  bridges 
to  carry  increased  weight  of  engines. 

The  merging  of  the  various  railroads  entering  Waterbury  into  the  New  York, 


94  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad  was  nearly  complete  in  1893.  In  May,  1887, 
the  Naugatuck  Railroad  was  leased  for  ninety-nine  years  to  the  New  Haven 
system  at  $200,000  a  year.  In  1875  it  had  bought  the  Watertown  line  from  its 
trustees. 

The  New  York  and  New  England  Railroad  was  a  union  of  many  railroad 
companies,  which  were  made  a  part  of  one  corporation  on  April  17,  1873.  It 
owned  or  leased  the  Boston,  Hartford  and  Erie  Road,  the  Norwich  and  Worcester 
Railroad,  a  line  of  steamers  running  from  Norwich  and  New  London  to  New 
York,  and  the  Hartford,  Providence  and  Fishkill  Road.  In  1881,  it  opened  the 
line  from  Waterbury  to  Danbury,  and  in  1882  the  line  from  Danbury  to  Fish- 
kill.  It  also  acquired  the  railroad  running  from  Hartford  to  Springfield  with  its 
branches. 

Early  in  1887  construction  of  a  railroad  between  Waterbury  and  the  Con- 
necticut River,  by  way  of  Meriden,  was  begun.  On  July  4,  1888,  this  was 
opened.  In  January,  1889,  the  railroad  had  been  completed  across  the  city  to  the 
New  York  and  New  England  line.  In  1892  the  road  passed  into  the  temporary 
control  of  the  New  York  and  New  England  Railroad  Company,  but  merely  on  a 
lease. 

When  the  Meriden  Road  bonds  became  due,  its  operation  was  stopped  and 
foreclosure  followed.  Judge  A.  Heaton  Robertson,  of  New  Haven,  purchased 
it  for  $100,000  in  1896.  In  1897  Judge  Robertson  pledged  himself  to  the  Legis- 
lature that  he  would  resume  operations  before  the  next  session  of  the  Legislature. 
On  November  3d,  he  incorporated  it  as  the  Middletown,  Meriden  &  Waterbury 
Railroad.  The  officers  were :  President,  A.  Heaton  Robertson ;  secretary,  John 
B.  Robertson,  of  New  Haven;  treasurer,  A.  Heaton  Robertson;  directors,  Fred- 
erick C.  Wagner,  Henry  C.  Ely,  Wm.  H.  Clark,  all  of  New  York;  John  L. 
Billard,  Charles  L.  Rockwell,  H.  L.  B.  Pond,  all  of  Meriden ;  Frederick  J.  Kings- 
bury, of  Waterbury,  and  the  officers  above  named.  It  was  officially  re-opened  on 
December  6,  1898,  the  New  Haven  road  operating  it.  This  arrangement  was 
later  extended  and  the  New  Haven  road  secured  control  of  the  line.  In  1904 
a  connection  was  made  with  the  Northampton  Division,  near  Cheshire,  resulting 
in  the  "Cheshire  Loop"  rail  route  between  Waterbury  and  New  Haven.  The 
run  was  made  in  fifty  minutes  without  change,  as  against  an  hour  and  a  quarter 
with  one  change  on  the  route  via  Derby,  and  there  was  a  special  round-trip  rate 
of  seventy  cents,  a  considerable  reduction.  Consequently  the  "Cheshire  Loop" 
became  very  popular,  but  with  the  opening  of  the  Cheshire  trolley  to  Mount 
Carmel,  giving  a  through  line  to  New  Haven,  business  speedily  fell  off  on  the 
parallel  rail  route,  which  was  soon  abandoned.  Thereafter  the  Meriden  branch 
ran  one  mixed  train  of  two  cars  daily  each  way  between  Waterbury  and  Meriden. 
In  1917,  war  conditions  on  railroads  called  for  the  discontinuance  of  this  train  as 
unnecessary.     The  service  now  is  occasional  and  irregular. 

The  Meriden  branch  was  built  primarily  as  a  freight  line  to  connect  Water- 
bury and  Meriden  with  tide  water  at  the  Connecticut  River.  While  the  hopes  of 
its  builders  were  never  realized,  the  eastern  end  of  the  line  has  proved  useful. 
It  has  been  electrified  between  Meriden  and  Middletown  and  affords  regular 
passenger  and  express  service. 

On  July  1,  1898,  the  New  England  Railroad  passed  into  the  hands  of  the 
New  Haven  Railroad,  thus  ending  the  only  formidable  competition  the  consoli- 
dated system  ever  had. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  95 

THE    NEW    UNION    STATION 

On  July  ii,  1909,  the  new  Union  Station  of  the  New  York,  New  Haven  & 
Hartford  Railroad  was  opened  to  the  public.  This,  with  its  many  improvements 
in  the  way  of  street  openings,  elimination  of  grade  crossings  hy  the  new  viaduct 
and  subway  track  service,  was  a  tremendous  advance  over  old  conditions.  Water- 
hury  for  years  grumbled  about  the  old  Bank  Street  Station  of  the  Naugatuck 
Division.  This  was  the  successor  of  the  town's  first  depot,  which  was  erected  in 
1857.  The  Bank  Street  building  was  opened  on  January  22,  1868,  and  was  called 
'"palatial."  It  was  closed  to  the  public  March  29,  1908,  and  has  since  been  torn 
down  and  the  site  added  to  the  property  of  the  Waterbury  Farrel  Foundry  and 
Machine  Co.,  which  has  covered  it  with  factory  buildings.  Temporarily  the 
public  was  allowed  to  purchase  tickets  in  a  temporary  wooden  building  near  the 
West  brass  mill,  off  West  Main  Street,  until  the  tracks  were  shifted  and  the 
junctions  completed. 

The  station  is  ample  in  its  requirements  for  a  city  of  more  than  100,000  popu- 
lation. Large  swinging  doors,  three  in  number,  admit  to  the  waiting-room  from 
Meadow  Street.  This  waiting-room  is  furnished  with  high-back  mission  style 
seats,  the  floor  is  of  mosaic  tiling,  with  arched  ceilings  of  tapestry  brick. 

The  ticket  office  has  three  large  windows  with  decorative  brass  scroll  facings 
and  marble  counters. 

At  the  north  end  of  the  waiting-room  are  the  women's  reclining  and  toilet 
rooms,  and  the  men's  smoking  room  and  toilets,  and  a  large  newsstand  for  the 
Connecticut  News  Co. 

The  Western  Union  Telegraph  Co.  has  the  room  at  the  south  end  of  the 
waiting-room.  Next  comes  a  large  restaurant,  and  beyond  that  a  baggage-room. 
The  Adams  Express  Co.  is  quartered  at  the  north  end  of  the  building. 

The  construction  of  the  new  depot  and  the  street  changes  required  to  make 
effective  the  new  approach  had  begun  in  1906,  and  in  this  work  the  city  co-oper- 
ated most  heartily  with  the  railway  officials.  Grand  Street  and  Meadow  Street 
were  widened  to  make  an  impressive  approach  to  the  new  station,  and  at  their 
junction  there  was  a  fill  of  over  fifteen  feet,  many  hundreds  of  thousands  of  yards 
of  material,  being  used.  The  city  condemned  a  large  number  of  buildings,  some 
of  the  property  acquired  being  used  for  street  widening  and  station  approaches 
and  the  remainder  being  added  to  the  Bronson  Library  property,  thus  creating 
Library  Park.  Some  of  the  structures  torn  down  were  the  ramshackle  buildings 
surrounding  the  Meadow  Street  Station  of  the  old  Highland  Division,  and  these 
had  long  been  a  public  eyesore.  Others,  however,  were  substantial  and  modern 
brick  wholesale  warehouses.  The  firms  occupying  these  took  advantage  of  the 
opportunity  to  construct  new  buildings  in  the  West  End,  near  the  new  elevated 
tracks. 

The  passenger  facilities  thus  provided  have  proved  ample  for  the  city's 
growth  so  far.  The  freight  facilities  were  early  outgrown.  Track  congestions, 
particularly  in  the  winter  season,  caused  great  delays  in  the  handling  of  freight, 
and  the  railroad  company  was  repeatedly  put  on  the  defensive  and  made  promise 
of  further  improvements.  Its  financial  conditions  caused  these  to  be  delayed  until 
the  greatly  increased  business  due  to  war  orders  resulted  in  the  autumn  and 
winter  of  1916  in  a  wholly  intolerable  freight  blockade.  As  soon  as  spring  came 
construction  was  started  on  the  new  freight  yard  and  sidings  which  it  is  anticipated 
will  serve  the  city  for  some  years  to  come. 

When  the  Union  Station  was  built,  space  was  provided  in  the  upper  stories 
for  railroad  divisional  headquarters  and  the  staff  of  the  Western  division  was 


96  WATERBURY  AXD  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

moved  here.  This  lasted  for  awhile,  but  in  a  subsequent  reorganization  of  the 
divisions,  the  trackage  handled  from  Waterbury  was  cut  down  and  the  city 
became  headquarters  of  the  Highland  Division,  consisting  of  the  Old  Highland 
Division,  the  Xaugatuck  Division  and  the  Meriden  branch. 

THE    RAMIFICATIONS    OF   THE    TROLLEY 

In  1893,  when  the  Waterbury  Traction  Company,  which  from  its  inception 
in  1882  to  that  time,  had  been  known  as  "The  Waterbury  Horse  Railroad,"  asked 
for  permission  to  change  its  motive  power  to  electricity,  there  was  a  storm  of 
protest. 

At  Hartford,  the  State  Railroad  Commission  was  seriously  interfering  with 
the  beginnings  of  this  new  mode  of  street  travel.  In  fact,  in  its  early  reports, 
dated  during  this  formative  period,  it  absolutely  refused  to  grant  any  electric 
road  the  right  to  cross  the  tracks  of  a  steam  road. 

The  Waterbury  Traction  Company,  however,  submitted  to  the  mayor  and 
the  Court  of  Common  Council  of  Waterbury  its  plan  for  changing  the  motive 
power,  and  a  committee  of  the  Court  of  Common  Council  submitted  a  report 
recommending  the  granting  of  the  application  upon  certain  terms  and  conditions, 
including  the  following  conditions : 

"Section  6.  That  said  company  shall  indemnify  and  save  harmless  the  said 
city  from  all  loss,  cost,  damage  or  expense  of  every  kind,  nature  or  description 
by  reason  of  the  operation  of  its  cars  in  the  streets  of  said  city  arising  or  growing 
out  of  the  use  of  electricity  as  a  motive  power. 

"Section  8.  That  said  Waterbury  Traction  Company  shall  pay  to  the  City  of 
Waterbury,  for  the  use  of  said  city,  in  the  month  of  January  in  each  year  a  sum 
not  exceeding  two  per  cent  of  its  gross  receipts,  to  be  determined  as  follows : — 

"The  gross  receipts  for  the  purpose  aforesaid,  consist  of  all  fares  not  exceed- 
ing five  cents  (and  five  cents  of  each  and  every  fare  exceeding  five  cents)  and 
the  City  of  Waterbury  at  some  time  during  the  month  of  January  in  each  year 
shall  examine  the  books  of  said  company  and  thus  ascertain  and  determine  such 
gross  receipts. 

"When  and  after  such  time  as  the  net  earnings  of  said  company  shall  exceed 
the  sum  of  six  per  cent  on  the  capital  actually  invested  in  said  company,  in  stocks 
or  bonds,  or  both,  said  company  shall  pay  to  said  city  such  excess  to  the  amount 
of  two  per  cent  in  the  same  manner  aforesaid. 

"If  at  any  time  hereafter  the  statute  laws  of  this  state  shall  make  said 
company  liable  to  local  taxation,  the  provisions  of  this  section  shall  be  null  and 
void  during  such  time  as  said  company  shall  be  liable  to  local  taxation  and  no 
part  of  said  receipts  shall  be  paid  to  said  city  during  such  time  by  reason  of 
anything  herein  contained." 

This  permit  is  quoted  in  some  detail  here,  as  it  later  became  an  important 
issue  in  the  city's  contest  for  the  collection  of  its  two  per  cent  of  earnings. 

The  capital  of  the  new  company  was  placed  at  $1,000,000.  This  stock 
increase  prepared  the  way  for  the  absorption  of  the  Connecticut  Electric  Company 
and  for  the  control  of  the  electric  lighting  of  the  city. 

The  power  house  for  the  new  company  was  built  on  Bank  Street,  as  an 
extension  of  the  old  electric  station.  Work  began  March  1,  1894.  The  first  five 
electric  cars  were  run  July  28,  1894,  from  the  Center  to  Naugatuck.  The  West 
Main  Street  line  was  opened  with  electric  power  August  3,  1894,  the  East  Main 
Street  line  on  August  22d,  and  the  North  Main  Street  line  on  September  1st. 

The  first  report  of  the  street  railway  companies  in  Connecticut  to  the  State 


•  ftfJiiiiii 


WATERBURY   UNION   STATION   AND  APPROACHES    FROM    LIBRARY    PARK 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY       97 

Railroad  Commission  was  made  in  1895.  At  that  time  there  were  in  round 
numbers  300  miles  of  street  railways  within  the  state,  with  a  stock  and 
bonded  debt  of  $17,700,000,  gross  earnings  of  $2,200,000,  operating  expenses 
of  $1,500,000,  paying  taxes  amounting  to  $76,500,  carrying  38,000,000  passengers, 
with  250  accidents  to  persons,  12  of  which  were  fatal. 

In  1910  there  were  921  miles,  with  a  reported  capitalization  and  debt  of 
$7< ),ooo,ooo,  gross  earnings  over  $8,000,000,  operating  expenses  nearly  $5,000,000, 
taxes  $452,000,  passengers  carried  151,000,000,  with  2,278  casualties  to  persons, 
397  of  which  were  fatal.  This  gives  some  conception  of  the  tremendous  growth 
of  the  trolley  transportation  in  its  first  active  fifteen  years. 

In  1 9 16  the  total  mileage  of  single  track  road  in  Connecticut  was  1,543.8. 
The  total  assets  of  all  the  street  car  lines  in  the  state  had  reached  on  June  30, 
1916,  a  total  of  $115,737,721.36.  The  passenger  revenue  for  the  year  ending 
June  30,  1916,  was  $15,336,166.41,  with  a  net  operating  revenue  of  $5,841,512.05; 
taxes  to  the  state  for  the  period,  $971,753.53. 

The  first  officers  of  the  Waterbury  Traction  Company  were :  D.  S.  Plume, 
president;  J.  E.  Sewell,  general  manager;  J.  R.  Smith,  treasurer;  A.  M.  Young, 
secretary. 

In  the  year  ended  September  30,  1895,  the  road  earned  $124,566.92,  and 
expended  $75,948.64,  giving  it  net  earnings  of  $48,618.28.  It  owned  eighteen 
closed  cars  and  twenty-six  open  cars,  eight  of  the  latter  trailers.  Its  length  was 
9.15  miles. 

On  September  30,  1896,  it  reported  earnings  for  the  year  $137,273.69,  and 
expenses  $64,994.91.  The  electric  light  department's  income  for  that  year  was 
$105,661.38.  The  road  had  seventy-five  employees.  It  was  selling  tickets  at 
four  cents  and  ticket  fares  to  Naugatuck  at  eight  cents ;  school  children  were 
carried  for  three  cents. 

In  1897  it  added  the  Waterville  division  and  owned  12.18  miles  of  single 
main  track. 

By  1899,  the  trolley  business  had  come  under  the  closer  observation  of  the 
larger  interests  of  the  country  and  one  of  their  first  purchases  was  the  Waterbury 
and  Xorwalk  systems.  In  June,  1899,  the  transfer  was  officially  made  to  what 
was  then  known  as  the  Connecticut  Lighting  and  Power  Company.  Its  president 
was  R.  A.  Smith  of  New  York.  Its  directors  were  R.  A.  Smith  and  W.  F. 
Sheehan  of  New  York,  H.  G.  Runkle  of  Bloomfield,  N.  J.,  A.  M.  Young  of 
Branford,  Conn.,  and  P.  H.  Hampson  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  Thus  the  Waterbury 
traction  system  passed  out  of  local  control  in  1899.  The  company  which  made 
the  purchase  had  been  first  incorporated  on  July  2,  1895,  as  the  Gas  Supply 
Company.  On  November  2,  1899,  it  changed  its  name  to  the  Connecticut  Lighting 
and  Power  Company,  and  on  January  10,  1901,  the  name  was  again  changed  to 
the  Connecticut  Railway  and  Lighting  Company. 

In  1902  this  company  began  its  fight  for  control  of  the  Connecticut  field  with 
the  New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad  Company,  which  under  the 
name  of  the  Consolidated  Company,  was  starting  on  its  long  line  of  trolley 
purchases.  In  that  year  the  Connecticut  Railway  and  Lighting  Company  pur- 
chased in  addition  to  the  Waterbury  Traction  Company,  the  Bridgeport  Traction 
Company,  the  Shelton  Street  Railway  Company,  the  Milford  Street  Railway 
Company,  the  Westport  and  Saugatuck  Street  Railway  Company,  the  Derby 
Street  Railway  Company,  the  Norwalk  Tramway  Company,  the  Norwalk  Street 
Railway  Company,  the  Central  Rrailway  &  Electric  Company,  the  Greenwich 
Gas  &  Electric  Lighting  Company,  the  Naugatuck  Flectric  Light  Company,  and 
the  Southington  &  Plantsville  Tramway  Company. 

Vol.  1—7 


98  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Its  first  contest  with  the  City  of  Waterbury  came  during  this  period  when  it 
applied  to  the  selectmen  for  an  approval  of  the  extension  from  Oakville  to 
VVatertown.  The  consent  was  given,  but  with  it  a  proviso  demanding  the 
"removal  of  all  embankments  and  abutments  now  situated  on  the  highway  under 
the  New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railway;  the  erection  of  electric  arc 
lights  at  those  points,  and  the  construction  of  a  new  and  substantial  iron  bridge." 

This  became  a  famous  contest,  in  which  the  city  was  defeated,  first  of  all 
by  the  decision  of  the  state  railroad  commissioners,  and  finally  in  an  adverse 
decision  by  the  Supreme  Court  on  an  appeal  by  the  company  from  a  favorable 
decision  in  the  lower  courts. 

In  1902,  the  directors  of  the  company  were  as  follows :  A.  M.  Young, 
Branford,  Conn.;  R.  A.  Smith,  New  York  City;  George  E.  Terry,  Waterbury; 
Randall  Morgan  and  Walton  Clark,  both  of  Philadelphia ;  H.  G.  Runkle,  Plain- 
field,  N.  J.;  David  S.  Plume,  Waterbury;  W.  G.  Bryan,  Waterbury;  A.  W. 
Paige,  Bridgeport,  and  M.  J-  Warner,  Branford,  Conn. 

Beginning  with  1902  reports  were  consolidated  for  its  entire  single  main 
track  length  of  151.720  miles.     • 

In  1904  the  road  from  Waterbury  to  Cheshire  and  Mount  Carmel  was  com- 
pleted and  the  mileage  in  Waterbury  was  also  slightly  extended.  The  work  on 
the  Baldwin  Street  line  began  in  this  year. 

On  August  1,  1906,  the  entire  holdings  of  the  Connecticut  Railway  &  Lighting 
Company  were  leased  to  the  Consolidated  Company,  thus  passing  into  the  pos- 
session of  the  New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railway.  At  this  time  the 
total  length  of  main  track  in  Connecticut  was  625.307  miles.  Of  this  the  two 
companies  now  consolidated  controlled  440.419  miles. 

The  Connecticut  Railway  &  Lighting  Company  owns  170.987  miles  of  single 
track  in  Connecticut  which  is  leased  to  and  operated  by  the  Connecticut  Company 
under  a  sub-lease  dated  February  28,  1910,  from  the  Consolidated  Railway 
Company,  by  the  provisions  of  which  the  Connecticut  Company  assumes  all  the 
obligations  and  undertakings  as  to  street  railways  assumed  by  the  Consolidated 
Railway  Company  under  its  lease  of  December  19,  1906,  from  the  Connecticut 
Railway  &  Lighting  Company.  Both  the  original  and  the  sub-lease  expire 
August  1,  2005,  the  rent  paid  by  the  Connecticut  Company  being  $1,049,563.50 
for  the  year.  The  lessee  received  all  the  income  and  profits  from  the  leased 
premises  and  in  consideration  thereof  pays  the  rental  and  taxes  and  maintains 
the  property  in  good  order  and  repair. 

Two  lines  which  were  under  construction  in  1906,  the  Waterville  and  Thomas- 
ton  line,  and  the  Oakville  and  Watertown  line,  were  completed  in  1907  and  became 
part  of  the  new  system. 

On  December  19,  1910,  the  company  started  to  extend  the  line  to  Town  Plot 
from  the  junction  of  Bank  and  James  streets,  and  in  1912  it  opened  the  loop 
through  Meadow  Street  passing  the  Union  Station. 

In  October,  1914,  after  the  drastic  action  by  the  Government,  the  company 
and  the  Department  of  Justice  agreed  that  the  trolley  properties  among  other 
holdings  should  be  put  into  the  hands  of  trustees  for  management  and  sale  at 
the  proper  time.  Under  this  and  a  previous  order  of  court,  the  profits  of  the 
Connecticut  Company  are  turned  over  to  the  New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford 
in  repayment  for  expenditures  made  out  of  its  funds  or  as  profits  accruing  from 
the  trust  holdings. 

In  March,  1915,  the  dissolution  had  proceeded  far  enough  so  that  the 
directors  of  the  New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  were  able  to  inform  the 
Public   Service   Commission  of  Connecticut,   Massachusetts   and  Rhode   Island, 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  99 

that  in  compliance  with  the  decree  of  the  Federal  Court,  control  of  the  Boston 
&  Maine,  the  Rhode  Island  and  Connecticut  trolley  lines  had  already  been  placed 
in  the  hands  of  trustees. 

It  was  stated  by  1 'resident  Hadley  of  Yale,  when  first  made  a  director  of 
the  Xew  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad,  that  the  company  had  expended 
approximately  ninety  million  dollars  in  the  purchase  of  trolleys  during  the  decade 
ended  in  [913.  "As  for  the  trolleys  about  which  so  much  has  been  said  in 
criticism,  there  was  except  in  the  Rhode  Island  and  Berkshire  enterprises,  little 
that  could  be  called  recklessness." 

One  of  the  most  notable  trials  in  the  history  of  the  country  grew  out  of  the 
Government's  charge  that  the  directors  of  the  New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford 
had  conspired  to  monopolize  the  common  carrier  transportation  of  New  England 
by  acquiring  and  combining  steam  railroad,  trolley  lines  and  steamship  companies. 
The  trial  lasted  three  months,  ending  January  9,  1916,  in  an  acquittal  of  most  of 
the  defendant  directors,  and  in  a  few  instances  in  a  disagreement.  The  trial  is  said 
to  have  cost  the  Government  $200,000,  and  the  defendant  $575,000. 

Howard  Elliott,  now  chairman  of  the  board  of  directors,  in  a  recent  address 
at  Norwich  said  that  "there  is  enough  value  in  the  great  terminals  to  offset  losses 
that  may  be  sustained  in  selling  certain  of  its  properties  under  the  decree  of  the 
Federal  Court." 

In  October,  19 14,  the  United  States  District  Court  for  the  Southern  District 
of  New  York  placed  the  trolley  system  of  Connecticut  in  the  hands  of  five 
trustees,  with  an  order  to  dispose  of  these  properties  in  two  years.  This  time  has 
now  been  further  extended. 

The  present  trustees  are  as  follows : 

Walter  C.  Noyes,  New  York,  chairman ;  Charles  Cheney,  South  Manchester ; 
Leonard  M.  Daggett,  New  Haven;  Morgan  B.  Brainard,  Hartford;  Charles  T. 
Sanford,  Bridgeport. 

For  the  year  1917,  the  trustees  have  deemed  it  wise  to  declare  no  dividend. 

Waterbury,  in  August,  1915,  after  defeat  in  the  courts  in  its  fight  to  collect 
the  2  per  cent  under  the  old  written  agreement  with  the  Waterbury  Traction 
Company,  settled  the  case  on  the  payment  to  the  city  of  a  lump  sum  of  $75,000. 

In  July,  1 91 7,  the  company  announced  that  it  would  no  longer  sell  trolley 
tickets  at  4  cents  on  its  Waterbury  lines,  and  later  that  on  October  1,  191 7,  it 
would  charge  on  all  its  lines  6  cents  where  cash  fares  of  5  cents  had  been  collected 
previously.  The  effort  to  stop  this  by  injunction  failed,  as  there  never  had  been 
a  written  agreement  on  rates,  and  the  new  fares  are  now  in  effect,  although 
hearings  are  being  held  before  the  Public  Utilities  Board  as  to  the  right  of  the 
company  to  raise  the  rate. 

In  1899  a  corporation  known  as  the  Woodbury  &  Southbury  Electric  Railway 
Company  endeavored  to  secure  the  right  to  use  the  city  streets  for  the  operation 
of  an  electric  line  to  suburban  points,  but  this  was  never  pressed  to  any  practical 
end.  It  was,  however,  the  occasion  of  a  long  contest  with  the  existing  trolley 
system. 

The  trolley  connection  to  Woodbury  was  not  secured  until  1908,  when  the 
line  was  run  via  Middlebury  and  past  Lake  Quassapaug,  making  this  a  great 
popular  summer  resort.  For  years  the  talk  had  been  that  the  line  to  Woodbury 
would  run  through  Watertown. 

Various  plans  to  connect  the  terminus  of  the  Watertown  trolley  line  with 
Litchfield  and  Thomaston  have  been  mooted,  but  never  reached  the  practical  stage. 

In  1916,  the  company  completed  and  opened  what  is  popularly  known  as 
the  Chase  trolley  line,  proceeding  from   North   Main   Street  to  Waterville  via 


100  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Perkins  Avenue  and  connecting  the  North  Main  Street  plants  of  the  Chase  inter- 
ests with  the  railroad  tracks  at  Waterville  and  the  Chase  Metal  Works  north  of 
Waterville. 

THE   "GREEN"    LINE 

In  1913,  a  small  group  of  Waterbury  and  Southington  men  started  the  Water- 
bury  and  Milldale  Tramway  Company,  better  known  as  the  "Green"  line.  This 
project  had  been  under  way  for  more  than  seven  years,  having  originated  among 
the  business  men  of  the  Town  of  Southington,  who  desired  closer  connections 
with  Waterbury.  C.  H.  Clark,  the  bolt  manufacturer  of  Southington,  was  the 
mainspring  behind  the  project.  An  appeal  being  made  to  the  Waterbury  Business 
Men's  Association  for  co-operation,  several  of  the  officers  and  directors  of  the 
association  joined  in  the  petition  for  the  charter.  Among  them  were  John  R. 
Hughes  and  John  H.  Cassidy,  who  was  at  that  time  secretary  and  counsel  of  the 
business  men's  association.  They  are  still  directors  of  the  company  and  Mr. 
Cassidy  is  its  managing  director. 

The  work  proceeded  slowly  owing  to  the  difficulties  of  construction  and  of 
securing  capital,  but  finally  the  line  was  operated  first  to  Mill  Plain,  then  extended 
to  Hitchcock  Lakes,  thus  making  another  agreeable  summer  resort  for  Waterbury 
people,  and  finally  to  Milldale,  making  connections  there  with  the  Connecticut 
Company's  lines  to  Meriden  and  Southington.  By  a  traffic  agreement  the  "Green" 
line  uses  the  Connecticut  Company's  tracks  in  this  city  from  the  corner  of  East 
Main  Street  and  the  Meriden  Road  to  the  Center. 

The  line  extends  from  Waterbury  to  Milldale,  a  distance  of  8^2  miles,  and  now 
operates  six  cars. 

Its  general  manager  is  John  H.  Cassidy,  and  its  directors  are :  Charles  H. 
Clark,  Roswell  A.  Clark,  Richard  Elliott,  John  R.  Hughes,  and  John  H.  Cassidy. 

EXPRESS    COMPANIES 

The  two  companies  operating  in  Waterbury  under  traffic  arrangements  with 
the  New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  System  are  the  Adams  Express  Company 
and  the  American  Express  Company,  both  with  offices  and  warehousing  arrange- 
ments in  the  Union  Station. 

The  business  of  these  companies  after  the  introduction  of  the  parcel  post 
was  run  at  first  at  a  heavy  loss,  amounting  in  1913  for  the  Adams  in  the  State 
of  Connecticut  to  $204,598.88,  and  for  the  American  for  the  same  period  in  the 
state  to  $281,892.44. 

There  has  now  been  a  complete  rehabilitation  and  adjustment  to  new  condi- 
tions, and  both  companies  are  doing  a  profitable  business  in  Waterbury. 

The  trolley  express,  established  in  1899,  's  one  °f  tne  activities  of  the 
Connecticut  Company. 

TELEGRAPH     COMPANIES 

The  two  telegraph  companies,  the  Western  Union  and  the  Postal  Telegraph, 
have  confined  themselves  during  the  past  twenty-five  years  to  keeping  up  with 
the  growth  of  Waterbury.  In  the  past  three  years  alone  the  telegraph  business 
in  this  city  has  doubled.  The  Western  Union  now  has  120  wires,  including 
trunk  lines,  running  out  of  its  Waterbury  offices,  while  in  1893  ^  nad  but  three. 
It  now  employs  fourteen  clerks  and  operators,  where  three  men  did  all  the  work 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK   VALLEY  101 

in  1893.  Jts  niost  famous  manager  during  this  period  was  W.  A.  Sawyer,  who 
is  now  district  commercial  superintendent  with  headquarters  in  New  York.  The 
present  superintendent  is  A.  C.  Wardell. 

The  Postal  Telegraph  Company  has  shown  a  similar  growth.  At  the  begin- 
ning of  the  twenty-five  year  period,  it  had  but  two  wires;  now  it  has  twenty-five 
wires  running  out  of  the  city.  Its  growth,  too,  has  been  continuous.  Its  present 
manager  is  Margaret   M .  Hunter. 

THE   TELEPHONE    IN    CONNECTICUT 

It  is  now.  at  the  end  of  1917,  forty  years  since  the  telephone  was  first  com- 
mercially introduced  into  Connecticut  on  a  then  large  scale.  Since  that  time 
tremendous  expansion  of  the  service  has  placed  the  telephone  in  the  forefront  of 
the  most  serviceable  public  utilities.  From  the  little  exchange  established  in  the 
City  of  New  Haven  in  January,  1878,  the  business  has  grown  with  rapidity,  until 
at  the  present  time  it  is  almost  impossible  to  enter  even  the  most  remote 
farming  communities,  or  sparsely  settled  districts  in  the  state,  without  finding  a 
telephone  handy  in  the  event  it  is  needed. 

Pioneers  in  the  telephone  service  in  Connecticut  agree  that  what  were  probable 
the  first  telephones  brought  into  this  state  made  their  appearance  in  the  City  of 
Bridgeport  in  the  latter  part  of  June,  1877.  These  instruments  were  brought  to 
that  city  for  demonstration  purposes,  as  the  incident  is  remembered,  and  were 
presented  to  the  directors  of  the  Hartford  Alarm  Register  Company,  with  which 
Thomas  B.  Doolittle  of  Pine  Orchard,  a  pioneer  telephone  man  and  famous  as  the 
inventor  of  hard  drawn  copper  wire,  was  identified. 

Mr.  Doolittle  was  present  at  the  meeting  of  the  directors  of  the  Register  Com- 
pany when  these  telephones,  four  in  number,  were  shown  to  the  directors.  He 
borrowed  two  of  these  old-time  telephone  sets  and  showed  them  to  a  number 
of  his  business  friends  in  Bridgeport  during  the  next  few  days.  At  that  time  the 
study  of  telegraphy  was  quite  a  fad  among  men  of  an  inventive  turn  of  mind 
and  several  of  them,  living  in  Bridgeport,  were  members  of  what  was  called  the 
Bridgeport  Social  Telegraph  Association.  By  means  of  this  association,  when 
one  member  wished  to  call  another,  he  would  sound  that  member's  call  and  sign 
his  own.  The  operator,  hearing  this,  would  so  adjust  the  plugs  in  the  switchboard 
that  a  connecting  line  was  established  between  the  calling  and  the  called  stations. 
In  this  way  telegraphic  communication  could  be  established  in  much  the  same  way 
as  a  telephone  connection  is  made  today. 

Brief  experiments  were  carried  on  by  members  of  the  Social  Telegraph  Asso- 
ciation with  the  old  telephone  sets  and  it  was  proved  that  the  telephone  could  be 
used  on  this  system.  The  association,  through  its  members,  at  once  adopted  the 
telephone  in  place  of  the  telegraph. 

At  this  time  tests  were  made  from  various  stations  in  the  association's  service 
and  conversations  were  sucessfully  carried  on  as  far  out  as  Black  Rock,  about 
four  miles  from  the  operator's  switchboard.  All  interest  in  the  telegraph  system 
was  lost  and  Mr.  Doolittle  at  once  began  soliciting  subscribers  for  a  telephone 
system.  P.  T.  Barnum,  of  circus  fame,  was  the  first  subscriber  signed  by  Mr. 
Doolittle. 

A  company  had  been  formed  in  New  England  to  lease  instruments  and  plans 
were  being  made  for  using  them  at  various  points.  W.  H.  Haywood,  who  was 
secretary  of  the  Hartford  Register  Company,  appplied  for  and  secured  the 
agency  of  the  telephone  in  Fairfield  and  New  Haven  counties.  Later  Mr.  Hay- 
wood secured  the  agency  for  Hartford  and  Litchfield  counties. 


102  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

With  the  development  of  the  association's  service  in  Bridgeport  promising 
well,  Mr.  Doolittle  went  to  New  Haven  with  the  object  of  interesting  capital 
in  that  city  in  the  project  of  establishing  a  similar  association  there.  It  was 
through  Mr.  Doolittle's  efforts  that  the  New  Haven  District  Telephone  Company 
was  formed  and  the  preliminaries  to  the  opening  of  the  first  commercially  oper- 
ated telephone  exchange  were  carried  out.  But,  telephone  history  shows,  Mr. 
Doolittle  was  left  out  of  this  business  arrangement. 

David  S.  Plume  of  Waterbury  played  a  prominent  part  in  the  advancement  of 
telephony  in  this  state.  He  was  a  close  friend  of  Mr.  Doolittle  and  had  often 
tried  to  persuade  the  latter  to  devote  his  attention  to  manufacturing  rather 
than  to  the  development  of  the  telephone,  which  was  not  then  regarded  as  a  safe 
and  sound  business  enterprise.  Finally  Mr.  Plume  sensed  the  great  possibilities 
of  the  telephone  and  provided  financial  backing  for  some  of  the  work  Mr.  Doolittle 
then  had  in  mind. 

In  November,  1877,  a  telephone  line  was  built  connecting  the  mill  and  offices 
of  the  Ansonia  Brass  and  Copper  Company.  These  works  adjoined  those  of 
Wallace  &  Sons,  who  were  also  manufacturers  of  copper  wire.  Mr.  Doolittle 
was  associated  with  this  enterprise  and  it  was  in  this  work  that  he  acquired 
his  knowledge  of  wire  drawing  which  led,  some  time  later,  to  his  invention  of 
hard  drawn  copper  wire  which  made  possible  the  modern  long  distance  telephone 
service. 

At  this  time  Mr.  Doolittle  was  getting  along  well  in  the  plans  for  an  exchange 
in  Bridgeport.  Then  the  Western  Lmion  Telegraph  Company  entered  the  tele- 
phone field  and  seemed  to  direct  all  its  energies  toward  upsetting  Mr.  Doolittle's 
business  plans  in  that  city.  It  is  reliably  recorded  that  Mr.  Doolittle  was  beset 
by  many  difficulties,  financial  and  otherwise,  in  his  efforts  to  put  through  his 
plans.  One  hard  blow  at  Mr.  Doolittle  came  through  William  D.  Bishop  of 
Bridgeport,  then  president  of  the  New  Haven  Railroad.  He  ordered  all  of  the 
telephones  furnished  by  Mr.  Doolittle  taken  out  of  the  railroad,  steamboat  and 
express  offices.  Mr.  Bishop,  by  the  way,  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors 
of  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company  at  that  time. 

The  first  commercial  telephone  exchange  in  the  world  was  opened  in  New 
Haven,  January  28,  1878,  and  the  switchboard  was  located  in  the  Boardman 
Building,  still  standing  at  State  and  Chapel  streets.  A  little  later  an  exchange 
was  opened  in  Meriden  and  the  switchboard  used  there  was  supposed  to  be  an 
exact  duplicate  of  the  one  used  in  New  Haven.  By  February  28,  1878,  the  ex- 
change in  New  Haven  had  grown  so  that  there  were  fifty  subscribers  connected 
therewith  and  a  list  of  these  subscribers  was  prepared  and  printed,  this  being  the 
first  telephone  directory  in  the  world. 

The  early  exchanges  were  naturally  far  different  from  the  marvelously 
equipped  central  offices  of  the  present  day.  The  apparatus  was  crude  and  the  boy 
operators  not  only  were  untrained,  but  the  quality  of  their  work  was  lowered  by 
their  desire  to  experiment  with  the  apparatus  which  was  a  great  novelty  to  them. 

With  the  New  Haven  and  the  Meriden  exchanges  operating  successfully,  the 
Bridgeport  exchange  was  soon  opened  by  Mr.  Doolittle.  Ellis  B.  Baker,  for 
many  years  with  the  Southern  New  England  Telephone  Company,  was  the  man 
chiefly  instrumental  in  establishing  the  exchange  at  Meriden.  At  that  time  Mr. 
Baker  was  but  twenty- four  years  of  age. 

With  these  three  exchanges  finally  established  and  with  telephony  recognized 
as  a  modern  aid  to  all  business  enterprises,  it  was  not  long  before  an  exchange  was 
established  and  in  working  order  in  the  City  of  Waterbury.  This  was  the  period 
of  telephone  infancy,    to    be    sure,    but    for    an  infant  it    displayed    remarkable 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  XAUGATUCK  VALLEY      103 

facilities  for  proving  its  real  service  to  the  people,  in  consequence  of  which, 
exchanges  were  within  a  few  years  opened  in  practically  all  of  the  larger  cities  of 
the  state.  Today  every  city,  town,  village  and  hamlet  and  the  obscure  places  in 
the  backwoods  of  this  and  every  other  state  are  now  accorded  telephone  service. 

The  first  Waterbury  office  was  located  in  a  building  in  Phoenix  Avenue,  the 
second  home  being  in  a  building  in  North  Main  Street.  From  there  the  Waterbury 
office  was  moved  to  the  old  site  of  the  Manufacturers'  National  Bank  and  then  to 
the  Masonic  Building  in  Bank  Street.  Later  the  office  was  located  at  282  Bank 
Street,  this  being  the  first  central  office  building  the  Southern  New  England 
Company  built  in  Waterbury.  It  moved  into  its  new  building  on  Leavenworth 
Street  in   1914. 

From  a  short  list  of  subscribers,  468  on  September  1,  1894,  the  Waterbury 
office  is  now  serving  about  8,000  telephones  in  Waterbury,  which  is  practically 
one  telephone  for  every  twelve  persons  in  the  city.  In  the  past  eighteen  months 
the  growth  of  business  at  the  Waterbury  exchange  has  been  remarkably  heavy. 
The  number  of  local  calls  originating  in  Waterbury  is  shown  by  the  peg  count  for 
October,  191 7,  to  be  41,000  a  day.  The  outgoing  toll  calls  average  about  1,500 
each  day.  This  shows  an  hourly  rate  of  about  t,8oo  calls  every  hour  each  of  the 
twenty-four  hours.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind,  however,  that  during  the  night  this 
rate  is  far  from  being  reached,  while  in  the  rush  hours  of  a  business  day,  when 
the  traffic  load  is  the  heaviest,  the  hourly  rate  of  calls  is  far  in  excess  of  1,800. 

The  number  of  telephones  in  Waterbury  has  increased  more  than  1,500  in  the 
past  eighteen  months  and  the  outlook  is  for  a  continuation  of  this  heavy  demand 
for  service  at  this  exchange. 

A  model  and  modern  central  office,  equipped  with  the  very  last  word  in 
switchboard  apparatus  and  with  nearly  double  the  number  of  telephone  operators 
employed  there  two  years  ago,  has  been  built  and  occupied.  It  has  taxed  the 
facilities  of  the  company  to  meet  satisfactorily  the  service  demands  in  Waterbury, 
and  that  this  has  been  done  is  a  forceful  testimonial  to  the  wise  forethought  of 
the  directing  heads  of  the  telephone  company. 

The  process  of  placing  telephone  wires  underground  in  iron  conduits  lined 
with  cement  and  laid  on  cement  began  in  Waterbury  in  1894. 

The  following  is  the  record  of  total  telephone  installations  September  1,  191 7, 
in  what  is  known  as  the  Waterbury  district : 

Canaan    457 

Cornwall    166 

Lakeville    421 

Litchfield    737 

Xaugatuck    1,398 

Norfolk    349 

Thomaston    479 

Torrington    2,161 

Waterbury    8,163 

Watertown    .- 5r7 

Winsted   1,597 

Total    i6,445 

GEORGE  WELLS  BEACH 

George  Wells  Beach,  late  president  of  the  Manufacturers'  National  Bank,  ex- 
superintendent  of  the  Naugatuck  Railroad,  president  of  the  S.  Y.  Beach  Paper 


104      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Company,  of  the  Manufacturers'  Foundry  Company,  and  in  many  other  capacities, 
one  of  the  foremost  citizens  of  Waterbury,  was  born  in  Humphreysville  (now 
Seymour),  New  Haven  County,  Connecticut,  August  18,  1833. 

At  seventeen  he  became  a  railroad  clerk  in  the  Seymour  office  of  the  company 
and  it  was  soon  proved  that  he  was  to  succeed  in  the  railroad  business.  The  fol- 
lowing year,  1851,  he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  second  clerk  in  the  Water- 
bury  office.  From  time  to  time  he  was  sent  to  different  posts,  where  there  was 
special  need  of  a  responsible  person,  and  in  this  way  he  gained  wide  experience 
with  railroad  work.  In  1855  he  was  made  agent  in  the  Naugatuck  Station,  in  1857 
a  conductor,  and  was  also  put  in  charge  of  the  general  ticket  agency.  In  1861  he 
became  the  agent  at  Waterbury  and  remained  in  this  office  for  several  years.  At 
the  death  of  Charles  Waterbury,  in  1868,  Mr.  Beach  was  made  superintendent  in 
his  place.  From  1868  to  1887  he  was  superintendent  of  the  Naugatuck  Railroad, 
and,  on  the  lease  of  that  road,  in  1887,  to  the  New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford 
Road,  was  appointed  division  superintendent  and  filled  this  resposible  position 
continuously  until  he  retired  in  1902.  After  1880  he  was  successively  director,  vice 
president  and  president  of  the  Manufacturers'  National  Bank  of  Waterbury,  and 
from  1871  to  1885  he  was  a  director  in  the  Watertown  and  Waterbury  Railroad. 
He  was  an  incorporator  of  the  Waterbury  Hospital,  and  one  of  the  executive 
committee  for  fourteen  years,  and  president  of  the  American  Society  of  Railroad 
Superintendents  for  three  years. 

On  his  retiring  in  1902,  after  serving  as  superintendent  of  the  Naugatuck 
Division,  he  made  a  round  trip  over  the  railroad,  bidding  good-bye  to  the  hundreds 
of  men  who  had  served  under  him,  all  of  whom  were  known  to  him  personally. 

The  High  Rock  Grove  summer  resort  was  his  idea,  and  he  was  the  first  to  use 
kerosene  oil  for  lighting  of  passenger  cars.  This  was  in  i860.  The  valuable 
Arctic  rubber  shoe  was  first  manufactured  upon  his  suggestion. 

In  civil,  political  and  ecclesiastical  offices,  Mr.  Beach  was  as  active  as  he  was 
in  his  business  capacities,  often  supplying  pulpits  in  case  of  illness  of  pastors.  He 
was  justice,  town  clerk,  a  member  of  the  board  of  education,  member  of  the  State 
Legislature  (1870-71),  postmaster  of  Waterbury  in  1867,  a  deacon  in  the  First 
Congregational  Church  of  Waterbury  (1873-1906),  a  promoter  of  the  Christian 
Commission  for  the  Civil  war,  and  of  the  Waterbury  Young  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation, of  which  he  was  president  for  four  different  terms.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Waterbury  Club. 

Mr.  Beach  was  twice  married,  in  1855  to  Sarah  Upson  of  Seymour,  who  died 
in  January.  1882,  and  by  whom  he  had  two  sons.  The  senior,  Henry  D.,  was  the 
signal  engineer  of  the  New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad,  the  junior, 
Edward  W.,  is  a  manager  of  the  Manufacturers'  Foundry  Company  of  Waterbury. 
The  second  marriage  was  in  1883  to  Mrs.  Sarah  A.  Blackall.  His  home  was  at  29 
Cliff  Street,  Waterbury.    He  died  March  2,  1906. 

When  Mr.  Beach  retired  from  the  New  Haven  Road  in  1902,  his  position 
as  superintendent  was  taken  by  J.  P.  Hopson.  C.  S.  Lake  and  R.  D.  Fitzmaurice 
later  succeeded  to  the  position,  the  latter  leaving  in  1914,  when  the  present  super- 
intendent, Mahlon  D.  Miller,  was  appointed. 

MAHLON  D.   MILLER 

Mahlon  D.  Miller,  at  present  superintendent  of  the  Highland  Division  of  the 
New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Road,  with  headquarters  at  Waterbury,  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania  and  had  his  first  railroading  experience  in  the  coal  fields  of 
that  state.     Later  he  went  to  the  New  York  &  New  England  Road,  starting  as 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY      105 

telegraph  operator,  then  becoming  train  dispatcher.  With  headquarters  at  Provi- 
dence and  New  London,  he  was  later  made  train  dispatcher-in-chief,  and  train- 
master for  the  New  Haven  Road.  In  June,  1914,  he  was  appointed  superintendent 
with  headquarters  at  Waterbury. 

ALDEN   M.  YOUNG 

Alden  M.  Young,  the  first  secretary  and  general  manager  of  the  Waterbury 
Traction  Company,  was  closely  identified  with  the  history  of  the  electric  lighting 
and  electric  railway  business  of  Waterbury.  He  was  associated  with  D.  S.  Plume, 
E.  T.  Turner,  and  A.  O.  Shepardson  in  the  electric  companies  which  were  first 
organized  in  1888.  He  remained  with  the  Connecticut  Railway  &  Power  Company, 
becoming  its  president  in  1901  and  removing  to  New  York.  He  was  also  president 
of  the  New  England  Engineering  Company  of  Waterbury.  He  was  the  first 
superintendent  and  manager  of  the  telephone  system  in  Waterbury,  known  in  its 
beginnings  as  the  Automatic  Signal  Telegraph  Company,  which  was  organized 
May  2,  1878.  He  was  the  inventor  of  an  electric  battery  which  did  much  to  revolu- 
tionize the  electric  business.    Mr.  Young  died  at  his  New  York  home,  December 

3.  1911- 

OTHER  TROLLEY  SYSTEM    MANAGERS 

The  first  manager  of  the  street  car  system  of  Waterbury  was  Arthur  O.  Shep- 
ardson, who  was  closely  identified  with  Mr.  Turner,  Mr.  Plume  and  Mr.  Young  in 
all  their  electric  lighting  and  power  enterprises.  He  remained  as  general  manager 
until  1894,  when  J.  E.  Sewell  succeeded  him.  Mr.  Sewell  was  in  charge  of  the 
practical  end  of  the  traction  company's  business  until  1907,  when  the  first  steps 
for  the  sale  to  the  Connecticut  Railway  &  Lighting  Company  were  taken.  The 
management  then  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  J.  K.  Punderford,  who  is  still  vice 
president  and  general  manager  of  the  trolley  system  with  headquarters  at  New 
Haven.  Mr.  Sewell  later  became  manager  of  the  Shore  Line  trolleys  operating  in 
Eastern  Connecticut. 

The  first  superintendent  of  the  Waterbury  Horse  Car  Company  was  Edward 
A.  Bradley.  When  the  motive  power  was  changed,  M.  E.  Stark  became  superin- 
tendent and  remained  until  1899,  when  the  present  superintendent,  Herbert  L. 
Wales,  was  appointed. 

Herbert  L.  Wales,  the  present  superintendent  of  the  trolley  system  in  Water- 
bury, first  came  to  the  company  in  1894  as  foreman  of  the  repair  shop.  His  first 
experience  with  the  trolley  was  in  Portland,  Oregon,  where  he  was  employed  in 
1889  on  the  first  electric  street  car  line  established  in  that  city.  In  1891  he  went 
to  Denver  and  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Edison  General  Company.  Later  he  was 
employed  on  electric  lines  in  Boston,  Bangor,  Maine,  and  Windsor,  Conn.,  coming 
to  Waterbury  in  1894. 

WATERBURY'S  TELEPHONE  MANAGERS 

W.  X.  Sperry  became  manager  of  the  telephone  company  in  1891,  when  the 
work  was  still  experimental,  and  it  was  his  skill  that  brought  it  out  of  its  many 
early  troubles.  He  remained  with  the  company  until  1905.  In  that  year  he  was 
succeeded  by  j.  D.  Yeitch,  who  remained  until  1910.  G.  F.  Kirkham,  who  suc- 
ceeded him,  was  in  office  but  a  few  months.  W.  F.  Harper  was  manager  from  1910 
to  1913.  when  his  career  was  suddenly  terminated  by  death  in  the  trolley  wreck  of 


106  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

that  year.     R.  E.  Gerth,  who  succeeded  to  the  post,  remained  until  July  2,  1917, 
when  the  present  manager,  H.  G.  Davis,  took  charge. 

Henry  G.  Davis,  present  manager  of  the  Southern  New  England  Telephone 
Company,  was  born  in  Hartford  in  1885.  His  first  connection  with  the  telephone 
company  was  as  contract  agent  at  Hartford  in  1910.  He  was  later  made  district 
control  agent  for  Hartford,  and  then  became  special  commercial  agent  for  the 
Hartford  and  Waterbury  districts.  On  July  2,  1917,  he  became  manager  of  the 
Waterbury  office. 


CHAPTER  VIII 
THE  PROTESTANT  CHURCHES  OF  WATERBURY,  1892-1917 

THE  FIRST   CHURCH THE  SECOND,   THIRD  AND   HUNKER   HILL   CHURCH,   CONGREGA- 
TIONAL  ITALIAN    CONGREGATIONAL ST.    JOHN'S    AND    TRINITY    EPISCOPAL ST. 

PAUL'S,  WATERVILLE FIRST  M .  K.,  GRACE,  ST.  PAUL'S,  SOUTH  AND  WEST  SIDE  HILL 

M.    E. FIRST,    SECOND  AND  GRACE   BAPTIST — -GERMAN    AND   SWEDISH    LUTHERAN 

CHURCHES ADVENT  CHRISTIAN BUCK'S    HILL,    UNION,    WATERVILLE   CHAPELS. 

The  Protestant  churches  of  Waterbury  have  kept  pace  with  the  growth  of  the 
community  during  the  past  quarter  of  a  century,  meeting  its  moral  and  spiritual 
needs  with  a  strengthening  of  old  organizations  and  an  infusion  of  new  religious 
bodies.  This  is  true  of  practically  every  denomination,  and  it  applies  as  well  to 
the  neighborhoods  where  the  lack  of  numbers  was  met  by  union  organizations,  all 
of  which  are  prospering  and  spreading  the  influence  of  the  gospel  in  their  limited 
circles. 

This  short  period  of  time  has  witnessed  the  dedication  of  several  of  the  largest 
Protestant  churches  in  the  city,  including  the  magnificent  house  of  worship  on 
West  Mam  Street  occupied  by  the  Second  Congregational  Church.  This  was  dedi- 
cated in  June,  1898.  In  January  of  the  same  year  the  Third  Congregational 
Church,  on  Washington  Avenue,  was  opened  for  worship.  In  October,  191 7,  the 
First  Baptist  Church  opened  its  fine  house  of  worship  on  Grove  Street.  In  the 
review  which  follows,  it  will  be  interesting  to  note  the  great  number  of  smaller 
churches  which  have  risen  to  meet  local  needs  in  Waterbury,  and  the  territory 
immediately  tributary.  The  immediate  future  promises  the  erection  of  several 
additional  houses  of  worship,  the  funds  in  several  instances  being  on  hand  and 
awaiting  only  more  favorable  building  conditions. 

THE    FIRST    CHURCH,    CONGREGATIONAL 

The  First  Church,  Congregational,  of  Wraterbury,  which  was  founded  in  1691, 
225  years  ago,  and  which  is  the  mother  church  to  practically  all  of  the  surround- 
ing Congregational  churches,  has  had  its  notable  history  written  by  its  late  pastor, 
Rev.  Joseph  Anderson,  D.  D.,  covering  the  period  up  to  1896.  Doctor  Anderson 
remained  interested  in  the  work  of  the  church  until  his  death,  August  18,  1916. 
He  resigned  the  active  pastorate  in  February,  1905,  after  forty  years  of  service, 
but  remained  as  pastor  emeritus  until  his  death.  During  this  period  his  energies 
were  largely  given  to  literary  work,  although  he  supplied  the  pulpit  in  the  absence 
of  the  pastor,  and  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  work  of  the  church,  attending  services 
regularly  until  illness  made  this  impossible. 

Among  the  many  tributes  paid  the  late  Doctor  Anderson,  the  following  from 
the  eulogy  by  his  successor,  Rev.  Charles  A.  Dinsmore,  D.  D.,  gives  fitting  testi- 
mony to  the  extent  of  his  learning  and  the  scope  of  his  activities:  "His  mind  re- 
acted in  the  presence  of  nearly  every  subject  of  thought.  Nothing  in  heaven  or 
earth  seemed  uninteresting  to  him.  His  eager  mind  ranged  easily  over  an  incredible 
number  of  fields  of  knowledge, — Indian  lore.  New  England  history,  the  cutting 

107 


108  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

of  gems,  the  structure  of  a  sonnet,  oriental  antiquities,  Greek  philosophy,  the  Cal- 
vinistic  theology, — upon  them  all  he  could  converse  with  precise  information  and 
lively  interest."  As  a  writer,  Doctor  Anderson  is  perhaps  most  widely  known 
through  the  "History  of  the  Town  and  City  of  Waterbury,"  of  which  he  wrote  so 
great  a  part. 

In  1892  the  First  Church  had  a  membership  of  427.  In  September,  19 17,  this 
membership  was  570.  Its  pastor  is  Rev.  Charles  A.  Dinsmore,  D.  D.,  who  suc- 
ceeded Doctor  Anderson  January  25,  1895.  He  came  from  Phillips  Church,  of 
South  Boston. 

Rev.  Charles  A.  Dinsmore,  D.  D.,  pastor  of  the  First  Church,  Congregational, 
of  Waterbury,  is  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth,  which  college  honored  him  in  June, 
1905,  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity.  After  graduating  at  the  Yale 
Divinity  School,  he  accepted  his  first  pastorate,  at  Whitneyville,  and  then  he  was 
called  to  Willimantic. 

It  was  in  Willimantic  that  his  success  became  remarkable.  His  predecessor  as 
pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church  there,  the  Rev.  S.  R.  Free,  had  gradually 
been  absorbing  the  Unitarian  principles,  which  developed  in  his  preaching  and 
which  caused  more  or  less  feeling  against  him  on  the  part  of  a  portion  of  the  con- 
gregation. Two  hostile  factions  immediately  sprang  up  and  the  church  was  in  a 
dubious  condition  until  Mr.  Free  publicly  embraced  Unitarianism  and  resigned  as 
pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church.  Not  content  with  this,  he  immediately 
started  a  new  church,  to  be  conducted  in  accordance  with  his  new  beliefs.  With 
him  went  a  considerable  portion  of  those  who  had  formerly  been  strong  members 
of  his  other  church.  This  blow  was  a  very  severe  one  to  the  Congregational 
Church,  and  the  governing  body  was  in  a  dilemma  when  it  decided  to  extend  a 
call  to  Mr.  Dinsmore,  who  had  been  doing  excellent  work  in  Whitneyville. 

The  choice  proved  to  be  the  best  that  the  church  could  have  made.  From  the 
first  there  was  an  increment  of  interest.  New  members  were  quickly  added  and 
the  majority  of  those  who  had  followed  the  fortunes  of  Mr.  Free  came  back  into 
the  old  fold  again. 

From  Willimantic  he  was  called  to  the  Phillips  Congregational  Church,  of 
South  Boston,  where  he  remained  for  ten  years.  Here  he  duplicated  his  success 
in  Willimantic,  although  he  was  not  confronted  with  the  apparently  hopeless  con- 
dition encountered  in  the  Connecticut  town. 

He  is  a  man  of  literary  note  and  ability,  having  written  several  books,  two  on 
Dante  having  brought  him  into  considerable  prominence.  One  is  an  independent 
study  of  the  man,  the  other  a  text  book  which  is  used  in  Amherst  and  other  col- 
leges. His  first  book  on  Dante  was  published  in  "The  Atlantic"  in  serial  form, 
and  attracted  widespread  attention,  being  criticised  both  here  and  in  England.  He 
is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  successful  and  popular  interpreters  of  Dante  at  the 
present  day. 

The  most  notable  event  in  the  history  of  the  church  during  the  past  quarter  of  a 
century  was  the  celebration  of  its  225th  anniversary  on  August  25,  1916.  On  that 
date  it  was  decided  to  raise  a  memorial  fund  of  $10,000,  which  finally  amounted 
to  $12,000.  This  is  being  devoted  to  the  placing  of  a  memorial  window  to  Dr. 
Joseph  Anderson,  to  the  erection  of  tablets  in  memory  of  the  pastors  of  the  church 
during  the  last  century,  and  to  the  rebuilding  of  the  church  organ. 

Another  notable  anniversary  was  the  centennial  of  the  Sunday  school,  Mid- 
week Prayer  Meeting,  and  Benevolent  Society  of  the  First  Church,  which  was 
celebrated  April  25,  191 7.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  four  of  the  members 
present  at  that  time  were  active  in  the  society  in  1875.  These  were  Miss  Kath- 
erine  L.  Peck,  Miss  Katherine  A.  Prichard,  Miss  Emily  A.  Shannon  and  Mrs. 
Harriet  Riley. 


first  ch>xi;ki-:gatioxal  church  and  y.  m.  c.  a.  building,  waterbury 


ST.  FRANCIS  XAVIER'S  CHURCH   AND  RECTORY,  WATERBURY 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY      109 

On  January  22,  1907,  over  one  hundred  members  organized  the  Men's  League 
of  the  First  Church.-  Mr.  Carl  1\  Chapin  was  elected  president  of  the  organiza- 
tion in  May,  191 7. 

Notable  among  recent  gifts  to  the  Church  was  the  erection  by  J.  Hobart  Bron- 
son  of  a  recreation  house  on  the  church  grounds.  This  is  for  use  by  the  Camp 
Fire  Girls  and  the  Boy  Scouts  of  the  church. 

On  January  25,  191 7,  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  old  First  Church, 
women  attended  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Ecclesiastical  Society  as  members,  join- 
ing with  the  men  in  passing  votes  having  to  do  with  the  finances  of  the  church 
and  the  election  of  its  officers.  The  word  "male"  had  by  vote  of  the  men  been 
stricken  from  its  by-laws. 

The  following  are  the  officers  of  the  First  Church,  elected  at  the  annual  meet- 
ing in  1917:  Frederick  B.  Hoadley,  its  treasurer,  has  held  that  office  since  1868, 
with  the  exception  of  two  years,  during  which  time  he  was  absent  from  the  city. 

Clerk  of  the  church,  George  H.  Peck. 

Treasurer  of  the  church  and  treasurer  of  the  weekly  offering,  Frederick  B. 
Hoadley. 

Deacons  of  the  church :  Frederick  B.  Hoadley,  Alexander  Dallas,  Horace  G. 
Hoadley,  Edgar  S.  Lincoln,  Edward  W.  Goodenough,  George  E.  Camp,  Arthur 
F.  Ells,  Albert  F.  Sherwood,  Darragh  DeLancey,  W.  Gamaliel  Bailey,  Albert  N. 
Colegrove,  Charles  Allen  Goddard. 

Advisory  committee:  Charles  Allen  Goddard,  Miss  Katherine  Hamilton,  Mrs. 
Dudley  B.  Deming,  Mrs.  Rowland  Jenner,  Mrs.  Samuel  R.  Kelsey,  Mrs.  George 
Ells,  Alden  Merrill,  Miss  Elizabeth  Hall,  Mrs.  Charles  R.  Vaill,  Mrs.  R.  William 
Hampson,  R.  Lester  Wilcox. 

Society's  committee :  Darragh  DeLancey,  chairman  ;  George  E.  Camp,  Edwin 
C.  Northrop,  Hugh  L.  Thompson,  Herbert  S.  Rowland,  Henry  A.  Hoadley,  Pier- 
son  R.  dimming. 

Abbie  M.  Allyn,  assistant  to  the  pastor. 

THE  SECOND  CHURCH,  CONGREGATIONAL 

The  Second  Church,  Congregational,  of  Waterbury,  a  daughter  of  the  First 
Church,  came  into  being  as  the  result  of  action  taken  by  the  Ecclesiastical  Society 
of  the  First  Church  on  February  10,  1851.  The  pastors  have  been  as  follows: 
Rev.  Seagrove  W.  Magill,  D.  D.,  1852-1864;  Rev.  Elisha  Whittlesey,  1864-1870; 
Rev.  Edward  G.  Beckwith,  D.  D.,  1871-1881  ;  Rev.  John  Gaylord  Davenport,  D.  D., 
the  present  pastor  emeritus,  1881-1911;  Rev.  Robert  Elliott  Brown,  191 1.  The 
assistant  pastors  have  been  Rev.  Frank  C.  Baker,  Rev.  Frederick  M.  Hollister, 
Rev.  Louis  H.  Holden,  Ph.  D.,  Rev.  M.  DeWitt  Williams,  Rev.  W.  Moreton  Owen. 

The  first  house  of  worship  was  on  North  Main  Street,  where  the  Odd  Fellows' 
Temple  now  stands.  The  present  edifice,  at  the  corner  of  West  Main  Street  and 
Holmes  Avenue,  was  dedicated  June  26,  1895,  its  cost  being  $160,000.  During 
Doctor  Davenport's  pastorate,  the  second  service  was  removed  from  afternoon  to 
evening,  the  communion  service  brought  into  the  forenoon,  responsive  readings 
and  other  enrichments  of  the  services  introduced,  individual  communion  cups 
adopted,  and  the  Christian  Endeavor  Society  and  many  other  organizations  were 
formed.  From  1881  to1  191 1,  the  membership  of  the  church  grew  from  558  to 
T.147. 

During  Mr.  Brown's  pastorate,  the  women's  work  has  been  re-organized,  many 
new  societies  have  been  launched,  the  benevolences  increased  from  $4,000  to  $8,725 
in  a  year,  and  acousticons  have  been  installed.     In  the  summer  of  191 7  the  audi- 


110  WATERBURY  AXD  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

torium  was  thoroughly  re-decorated,  and  plans  were  also  drawn  for  a  parish  house, 
and  additions  to  the  building.  Over  eighty  thousand  dollars  have  been  subscribed 
towards  its  cost,  the  first  pledge  of  $25,000  (conditional  upon  the  securing  of 
$75,000  additional)  being  given  by  Deacon  Aaron  A.  Benedict.  The  membership 
January  1,  19 17,  despite  the  growth  of  outlying  churches,  was  1,240. 

During  all  of  the  church's  history,  most  efficient  service  has  been  rendered  by 
the  Ecclesiastical  Society  having  in  charge  the  current  expenses.  The  Second 
Church,  directly  and  indirectly,  has  exerted  a  deep  influence  for  community  better- 
ment as  well  as  for  world-wide  Christianity.  Within  recent  years  it  has  brought 
to  the  city  an  extraordinarily  strong  array  of  speakers  upon  civic,  economic  and 
national  issues.  At  present  the  church  has  flourishing  organizations  for  men, 
women,  young  women,  young  people,  boys  and  girls,  and  a  progressive  Sunday 
school. 

The  officers  of  the  church  in  1917  are  as  follows:  Pastor  emeritus,  Rev.  John 
G.  Davenport,  D.  D. ;  pastor,  Rev.  Robert  E.  Brown ;  assistant  pastor,  Rev.  W. 
Moreton  Owen ;  clerk,  Roys  L.  Spencer ;  treasurer,  J.  A.  Boyd ;  society's  clerk, 
G.  E.  Judd ;  society's  treasurer  and  collector,  A.  J.  Blakesley ;  organist  and  choir 
director,  Harris  S.  Bartlett. 

Rev.  Robert  Elliott  Brown,  pastor  of  the  Second  Church,  Congregational,  of 
Waterbury,  was  born  in  Middleville,  Ontario,  Canada,  on  December  17,  1873.  He 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Washington,  to  which  State  his  parents  had 
removed.  In  1901  he  graduated  from  Oberlin  College,  Ohio,  later  going  to  the 
Yale  Divinity  School,  where  he  took  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Divinity.  On 
June  23,  1904,  he  married  Miss  Mabel  A.  Millikan,  of  Chicago,  and  in  the  same 
year  was  ordained  a  Congregational  minister. 

From  1904  to  1910  he  was  pastor  of  the  Pilgrim  Congregational  Church,  Fair 
Haven.  In  December,  1910,  he  became  associate  pastor  in  the  Second  Church, 
Congregational,  of  Waterbury,  and  on  April  1st,  when  Doctor  Davenport  was 
made  pastor  emeritus,  he  became  pastor  of  the  church.  In  1917  his  congregation 
granted  him  a  six  months'  leave  of  absence  for  work  in  France,  which  task  he  is 
now  fulfilling. 

THE   THIRD    CHURCH,    CONGREGATIONAL 

On  the  evening  of  February  5,  1892,  at  the  prayer  meetings  of  the  First  and 
Second  Congregational  churches  of  Waterbury,  a  joint  committee  was  appointed 
on  the  condition  and  needs  of  that  section  of  Waterbury  known  as  Brooklyn  and 
Town  Plot,  to  advise  with  Mr.  Waters  with  reference  thereto,  and  to  take  such 
action  "as  the  committee  shall  judge  expedient."  This  committee  was  composed 
of  the  following:  First  Church,  S.  W.  Chapman,  Gordon  Clark,  L.  G.  Day,  R.  R. 
Stannard,  R.  C.  Partree,  William  C.  Scott,  Thomas  B.  Walker ;  Second  Church, 
B.  G.  Bryan,  James  Callan,  Fred  Chapman,  F.  J.  Mix,  John  Henderson,  Jr.,  Wil- 
liam Morgan,  James  Stewart. 

On  March  28,  1892,  at  a  meeting  of  the  joint  committee,  "it  was  voted  that  a 
temporary  chairman  and  clerk  be  appointed,  who  shall  warn  a  meeting  according 
to  law,  to  be  held  in  the  basement  of  the  Bank  Street  Schoolhouse,  for  the  purpose 
of  organizing  a  Third  Congregational  Church."  Rev.  F.  P.  Waters  was  appointed 
temporary  chairman  and  S.  W.  Chapman  temporary  clerk  of  the  proposed  meeting. 

At  a  meeting,  held  April  26,  1892,  in  the  Bank  Street  Schoolhouse,  the  follow- 
ing resolution  was  adopted : 

"That  we,  the  members  of  the  Third  Congregational  Church  of  Waterbury,  do 
now  organize  as  a  corporation  under  the  laws  of  the  State ;  that  a  certificate  of  our 


skcoxd  (<>\<;i;k<;atioxal  church,  watkrbury 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  111 

action  be  duly  made  and  signed  by  tbe  officers  of  this  church."  At  the  same  meet- 
ing the  following  building  committee  was  appointed :  Rev.  F.  P.  Waters,  John 
Henderson,  Jr.,  James  Callan,  Mrs.  Ida  Chapman,  Belle  C.  Walker.  The  Third 
Church  was  recognized  by  other  churches  at  a  council  duly  called.  At  the  annual 
meeting,  January  4,  1895,  it  was  voted  that  the  building  committee  be  instructed 
to  turn  over  the  church  building  to  the  legal  committee. 

During  the  history  of  the  church,  the  following  pastors  have  served  it:  Rev. 
F.  P.  Waters,  November  1,  1891 -July  1,  1897;  Rev.  Charles  E.  Granger,  May  1, 
1898-February  1,  1902;  Rev.  Benjamin  F.  Root,  March  1,  1902-February  21,  1906; 
Rev.  H.  deHart  Gulick,  March  1,  1906-April  24,  1908,  and  Rev.  Clay  Dent  Chunn, 
April  24,  1908-April  30,  1913.  On  August  17,  1913,  Rev.  Leslie  H.  Perdriau  sup- 
plied the  pulpit,  and  on  September  14,  1913,  was  called  to  the  pastorate.  Mr. 
Perdriau  is  still  pastor  (191 7). 

The  notable  events  of  the  present  pastorate  have  been  the  organization  of  a 
successful  Men's  Brotherhood,  which  has  provided  a  gathering  place  and  service 
for  the  men  of  the  community,  both  helpful  and  social.  The  annual  banquets  have 
been  the  great  events  of  the  church  year. 

The  Women's  Get-Together  Club  is  doing  for  the  women  of  the  community 
what  the  Men's  Brotherhood  has  so  well  accomplished. 

The  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  the  church  was  celebrated  on  April  22-23, 
191 7.  The  anniversary  address  was  made  by  Rev.  Philip  C.  Walcott  of  Nauga- 
tuck,  on  Sunday,  April  22d.  The  general  social  events  followed  on  Monday,  April 
23,  1917.    The  officers  of  the  church  for  1917  are  as  follows: 

Pastor,  Rev.  Leslie  H.  Perdriau ;  clerk,  Fred  Jackson ;  treasurer,  Arthur  L. 
Edmond  ;  superintendent  of  Sunday  school,  William  Broughton. 

BUNKER    HILL    CONGREGATIONAL    CHURCH 

The  Bunker  Hill  Congregational  Church  has  been  in  existence  as  a  chapel  and 
regularly  organized  church  for  twenty-five  years.  It  was  established  by  members 
of  the  older  organizations,  who  felt  the  need  of  a  church  near  their  homes,  in  the 
Bunker  Hill  district.  On  June  24,  1905,  it  was  established  as  a  separate  church 
and  took  its  present  name.  Its  first  minister  Avas  Rev.  Ira  T.  Hawk,  who  is  now 
chaplain  of  the  Iowa  State  Penitentiary.  Rev.  C.  W.  Fisher  succeeded  him  and 
served  his  congregation  for  five  years.  Rev.  Milton  Wittier,  the  present  pastor, 
succeeded  him. 

The  membership  of  the  church  is  close  to  two  hundred  and  the  need  of  a  new 
house  of  worship  has  long  been  apparent.  The  site  for  this  has  been  selected, 
and  as  soon  as  building  conditions  warrant,  a  fund  already  in  existence  will  be 
used  for  the  new  edifice.  It  is  probable  that  the  year  191 8  will  see  it  erected  and 
dedicated. 

The  officers  of  the  church  are  as  follows :  Clerk,  Eugene  Rogers ;  deacons, 
Messrs.  Young,  Thomas  and  Clapp ;  treasurer,  William  L.  Piatt. 

ITALIAN    CONGREGATIONAL    CHURCH 

Largely  through  the  efforts  of  its  present  pastor,  Dr.  Pasquale  Codella,  the 
Italian  Congregational  Church  was  organized  December  6,  1904.  Its  services 
are  held  in  the  Second  Congregational  Church  on  Sunday  afternoons.  The  mem- 
bership is  now  over  two  hundred,  with  over  one  hundred  in  attendance  at  the 
Sunday  school.  Dr.  Codella,  the  pastor,  came  to  America  in  1901  and  was  ordained 
a  Congregational  minister  in  1904.    He  was  born  in  Calitri,  Italy,  July  1,  1868,  and 


112  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

is  a  graduate  of  the  Salerno  Musical  College  of  Italy.    The  officers  of  the  church 
are  as  follows : 

Clerk,  Pietro  Dello  Russo;  treasurer,  Rev.  Robert  E.  Brown,  D.  D. ;  superin- 
tendent of  Sunday  school,  Mrs.  Loretta  Codella ;  organist,  Lucy  Codella. 

st.  john's  episcopal  church 

St.  John's  Episcopal  Church  of  Waterbury,  established  in  1737,  is  the  mother 
church  of  Trinity  Church  and  of  St.  Paul's,  Waterville,  and  more  recently,  Decem- 
ber 17,  1916,  the  organizer  of  All  Souls'  Church. 

Its  influence  throughout  its  long,  eventful  career  has  not  been  confined  to  its 
own  membership,  but  has  been  felt  in  every  effort  of  community  uplift  which  has 
marked  the  nearly  two  centuries  of  its  existence.  Thus,  for  example,  through  its 
present  rector,  Rev.  John  N.  Lewis,  Jr.,  it  established  the  Waterbury  Visiting 
Nurses'  Association,  now  a  distinct  organization,  but  in  its  earlier  days  sponsored 
entirely  by  St.  John's. 

The  present  parish  house  on  Leavenworth  Street  was  erected  in  the  early  '90s 
of  the  last  century. 

Rev.  John  N.  Lewis,  Jr.,  present  rector,  came  to  the  church  in  September,  1900, 
as  associate  to  the  Rev.  Edmund  Rowland,  becoming  rector  in  August,  1901. 
Prior  to  that,  he  had  been  curate  at  St.  George's,  New  York,  rector  of  Grace 
Church,  Honesdale,  Pa.,  and  dean  of  Christ  Church  Cathedral,  Lexington,  Ky. 
The  vicar  at  All  Souls'  Chapel  is  Rev.  Roscoe  C.  Hatch.  The  first  assistant  to 
Rev.  John  N.  Lewis,  Jr.,  was  the  Rev.  Morton  A.  Barnes,  who  left  in  1905.  Later 
assistants  were  Rev.  Jacob  Albert  Biddle,  Rev.  Royce  R.  Miller,  and  Rev.  Charles 
Taber  Hall. 

The  Diocesan  Convention  was  held  in  Waterbury  under  the  auspices  of  the 
local  Episcopal  churches  in  1897.  In  1892,  Rev.  Dr.  Rowland  decided  to  introduce 
an  entire  male  choir,  the  soprano  and  alto  being  carried  by  boys'  voices,  and  all 
the  choir  uniformly  dressed  in  cassock  and  collar.  In  January,  1893,  the  parish 
received  from  H.  H.  Peck  the  gift  of  a  chancel  organ.  This  organ,  built  by  Far- 
rand  &  Votey,  was  placed  in  the  north  gallery  with  a  console  in  front  of  the  chan- 
cel, stalls  being  placed  there  for  the  choir.  Joseph  E.  Bartlett,  as  organist,  took 
charge  of  the  music.  He  was  succeeded  by  William  H.  Minor,  who  is  still  in 
charge. 

On  April  19,  1897,  the  church  property  at  Waterville  was  formally  conveyed 
to  St.  Paul's  Parish. 

On  April  8,  1901,  Doctor  Rowland  was  formally  elected  Pastor  Emeritus. 

Nelson  Jones  Welton,  who  had  been  senior  warden  for  twenty-five  years,  died 
in  June,  191 7.     He  was  succeeded  as  senior  warden  by  John  P.  Elton. 

The  vestrymen  of  St.  Tohn's  are :  H.  B.  Snow,  R.  G.  Hannegan,  W.  E.  Ful- 
ton, H.  S.  White,  J.  M.  Burrall,  E.  O.  Goss,  H.  H.  Peck,  H.  L.  Rowland,  J.  P. 
Kellogg,  F.  S.  Chase,  James  Crompton,  J.  E.  Kennaugh. 

The  other  officers  for  191 7  are  as  follows:  Rector,  Rev.  J.  N.  Lewis,  Jr.; 
clerk,  Charles  F.  Mitchell ;  treasurer,  Edwin  S.  Hunt ;  secretary,  Giles  R.  Ander- 
son ;  senior  warden,  John  P.  Elton ;  organist  and  choirmaster,  W.  H.  Minor. 

The  Rev.  Edmund  Rowland,  D.  D.,  former  rector  of  St.  John's  Episcopal 
Church  and  Rector  Emeritus  from  1901  to  the  date  of  his  death,  March  22,  1908, 
was  born  in  Springfield,  Mass.,  March  24,  1835,  and  entered  Harvard  with  the 
class  of  1857.  He  later  went  to  Trinity,  from  which  college  he  graduated.  In 
1882  his  Alma  Mater  gave  him  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity.  He  studied 
theology  under  Bishop  Williams  in  the  Berkeley  Divinity  School,  and  was  or- 
dained to  the  priesthood  in  1862  by  Bishop  Lloratio  Potter. 


REV.  F.  D.  BUCKLEY 
or  twenty-five  years  rector  of  Trinity  Church,  Waterbury 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  113 

He  married  Miss  Sarah  Belknap  of  Hartford.  He  was  minister  in  charge  of 
the  American  Church  in  Rome  for  some  time,  later  returning  and  becoming  rector 
of  Bethesda  Church,  Saratoga  Springs,  N.  Y.  He  was  rector  in  turn  of  St.  James' 
Church,  Goshen,  N.  Y.,  Grace  Church,  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  and  from  there  went 
to  Calvary  Church.  Cincinnati.  He  became  rector  of  St.  John's  Parish,  Water- 
bury,  in  1884. 

Doctor  Rowland  was  first  to  suggest  the  formation  of  the  Waterbury  Hospital 
Association.  He  was  foremost  in  all  the  great  moral  movements  that  gave  Water- 
bury  its  rank  among  the  best  cities  in  the  country. 

TRINITY    EPISCOPAL   CHURCH 

Trinity  Church,  which  was  set  off  as  a  parish  from  St.  John's  Episcopal  Church 
on  Trinity  Sunday,  1877,  is  therefore  celebrating  its  fortieth  anniversary  this 
year.  On  October  1st  this  event  was  given  added  significance  by  the  celebration 
of  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  as  rector  of  the  incumbent,  Rev.  Frederick  D. 
Buckle}-,  who  officiated  for  the  first  time  in  the  pulpit  of  Trinity  on  October  1, 
1892.  The  Rev.  Frederick  Dashiels  Buckley  was  born  at  Fishkill,  N.  Y.,  in  1855. 
He  studied  theology  at  the  Berkeley  Divinity  School,  was  ordained  dean  June  1, 
1887,  and  priest  March  23,  1888.  He  was  rector  of  Grace  Church,  Stafford 
Springs,  from  1887  to  1889,  and  of  St.  Andrew's  Church,  St.  Johnsbury,  Vt, 
from  1889  to  1892. 

During  his  pastorate  the  church  has  grown  in  membership  and  has  greatly 
increased  its  beneficent  activities. 

The  parish  house,  which  was  built  in  1900,  was  dedicated  by  the  bishop  of 
the  diocese  May  24,  1902.  In  that  year  also  the  present  rectory,  adjoining  the 
church,  was  added  to  the  church  property.  The  old  rector}-  on  North  Willow 
Street  was  the  probable  site  of  the  birthplace  of  Rev.  James  Scovill,  the  first 
resident  rector  of  the  Episcopal  Church  in  Waterbury. 

On  Trinity  Sunday,  1907,  the  occasion  of  the  church's  thirtieth  anniversary, 
an  endowment  fund  of  $10,000.00  was  raised.    This  is  now  over  $26,000.00. 

During  the  summer  of  1914  extensive  changes  were  made  in  the  church. 
These  consisted  in  the  construction  of  an  organ  chamber  on  the  north  side  of  the 
church  and  the  installing  of  a  new  organ. 

Sidney  Webber,  the  present  organist,  assumed  that  position  in  May,  1914, 
and  organized  the  first  boy  choir,  which  sang  for  the  first  time  on  June  7,  1914. 

At  the  Easter  meeting  in  1903,  Rev.  Dr.  Francis  T.  Russell,  who  from  the 
inception  of  the  parish  had  been  closely  connected  with  it.  resigned  as  assistant 
pastor.  He  died  in  February,  1910.  Rev.  Dr.  Richard  B.  Micou,  the  first  rector 
of  the  parish,  passed  away  in  June,  191 2. 

Trinity  Church  is  rich  in  its  beautiful  memorial  windows.  The  last  of  these  to 
be  placed  is  that  in  memory  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  E.  Lamb  and  their  son, 
Richard.     The  subject  of  this  is  The  Annunciation,  after  Hoffman's  painting. 

A  chancel  window  in  memory  of  Samuel  W.  Hall  was  contributed  by  the 
ladies  of  the  parish. 

In  1901  a  beautiful  memorial  window  was  unveiled  to  the  memory  of  Edward 
Daniel  Steele. 

Societies  for  carrying  on  the  institutional  work  of  the  parish  are:  Altar 
Guild,  Babies'  Branch  of  Junior  Auxiliary,  Junior  Auxiliary,  Young  Women's 
Guild,  Girls'  Calisthenic  Club,  Boys'  Club.  Women's  Missionary  Society,  St. 
Elizabeth's  ( mild,  Parish  Sewing  School.  Elocution  Class,  and  Sight  Singing 
Class. 

Vol.  1—8 


114  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

The  officers  of  the  church  elected  in  iQi/  are  as  follows:  Senior  warden, 
J.  K.  Smith;  junior  warden,  H.  M.  Steele;  clerk,  C.  F.  Davis;  treasurer,  E.  H. 
Perry;  vestrymen,  Geo.  E.  Boyd,  Dr.  F.  E.  Castle,  F.  S.  Gorham,  E.  H.  Horn, 
F.  L.  Nuhn,  C.  J.  Pierpont,  R.  D.  Pierpont,  H.  S.  Root,  E.  K.  Samson,  C. 
A.  Templeton,  G.  H.  Wayne,  F.  B.  Williams. 

st.  paul's  episcopal  church,  waterville 

About  the  time  the  Rev.  John  M.  McCracken  became  assistant  at  St.  John's 
Episcopal  Church,  there  was  a  revival  of  business  in  Waterville  and  the  mission 
which  had  been  established  in  185 1  gained  in  members  and  became  quite  active 
in  its  church  work.  It  flourished  under  his  care  and  a  parish  hall  was  built  and 
opened.  Mr.  McCracken  started  a  movement  to  have  the  mission  organized 
into  a  parish,  but  resigned  before  this  was  accomplished.  Flis  successor  at  St. 
John's,  the  Rev.  H.  N.  Tragitt,  became  the  first  rector  of  St.  Paul's  and  the 
parish  was  organized  and  received  into  union  with  the  Diocesan  Convention, 
June,  1895.  The  first  wardens  were  Louis  Gates  and  E.  E.  Bacon,  Harry  O. 
Miller  being  the  first  elected  delegate  to  convention.  During  Mr.  Tragitt's 
rectorate  the  Parish  Society  and  Young  People's  Association  were  organized, 
both  of  which  societies  have  contributed  in  great  measure  to  the  development  of 
the  parish  and  are  active  in  good  works  at  the  present  time. 

In  1898  Mr.  Tragitt  resigned  and  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  W.  A.  Rafter. 
Mr.  Rafter  stayed  only  two  years.  His  successor  was  the  Rev.  C.  W.  Bentham. 
For  a  few  years  the  parish  languished,  and  in  January,  1902,  the  bishop  sent  Mr. 
J.  Attwood  Stansfield,  a  student  from  the  General  Theological  Seminary,  to 
assume  direction  of  its  affairs.  The  following  Easter  the  parish  requested  Mr. 
Stansfield  to  take  charge,  and  when  he  was  ordained  he  was  elected  minister-in- 
charge.  In  April,  1897,  the  mother  parish,  St.  John's,  gave  a  deed  of  the  church 
and  lot  to  St.  Paul's.  The  manufacturing  interests  of  the  village  have  prospered 
and  the  parish  has  kept  pace  with  the  growth  of  the  village. 

The  present  rectory  was  built  about  five  years  ago,  during  the  incumbency  of 
Rev.  Wm.  P.  Waterbury.  In  February,  191 5,  he  was  suceeded  by  Rev.  Geo.  W. 
Griffith,  the  present  rector.     The  officials  for  1917  are  as  follows: 

Rector,  Rev.  George  W.  Griffith,  D.  D. ;  wardens,  Williams  A.  Faber,  Homer 
C.  Senior;  parish  clerk,  Charles  H.  Draper;  treasurer,  Homer  C.  Senior. 

FIRST    METHODIST    EPISCOPAL    CHURCH    OF    WATERBURY 

One  of  the  most  notable  events  in  the  recent  church  history  of  Waterbury  was 
the  Centennial  celebration  of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  This  began 
Sunday,  October  17,  191 5,  and  continued  throughout  the  week.  The  anniversary 
address  was  delivered  by  Rev.  Elmer  A.  Dent,  D.  D.  A  notable  feature  of  the 
celebration  was  the  presence  of  four  of  its  former  pastors. 

The  history  of  the  church  for  the  past  quarter  century  knits  it  closely  into 
the  great  work  of  Methodism  all  over  the  country.  It  has  been  especially  active 
in  its  work  in  missionary  fields,  its  Woman's  Home  Mission  Society,  its  Woman's 
Foreign  Missionary  Society,  its  Queen  Esther  Circle  and  its  Ladies'  Aid  Society 
being  classed  as  the  most  active  among  kindred  organizations  in  New  England 
The  membership  of  the  church  April  1,  191 7,  was  1,040. 

Since  September  20,  1896,  Ariel  Chapter  of  the  Epworth  League  No.  19,025, 
has  been  a  constituent  part  of  the  church,  with  a  membership  approximating  300. 

The  Sunday  School  has  grown  with  the  church.     On  March  26,   1893,  this 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK   VALLEY  115 

great  branch  of  the  local  church  celebrated  its  sixtieth  anniversary,  and  a  notable 
feature  of  that  event  was  the  presence  of  one  teacher,  Mrs.  Julia  A.  Pritchard, 
and  one  scholar,  Mrs.  Jeanette  Cow  ell,  the  only  survivors  of  the  original  organ- 
ization. 

During  the  existence  of  the  Sunday  School,  now  over  a  century,  there  have 
been  but  nine  superintendents.  Those  of  the  past  twenty-five  years  were  Fred- 
erick Gillmore,  Elmer  J.  Bassford,  Whitman  W.  Bowers  and  John  A.  Coe,  Jr. 

\t  the  time  the  congregation  moved  into  the  Easl  .Main  Street  Church,  the 
Sunday  School  numbered  208.  Today  it  is  rapidly  nearing  the  1,400  mark.  This 
includes  teachers,  officers,  scholars.     The  average  attendance  is  over  500. 

The  ministers  during  the  past  quarter  of  a  century  were  Rev.  Wm.  H.  Barton, 
[892-3;  Rev.  Gardner  S.  Eldridge,  1.894-1898;  Rev.  F.  Watson  Hannon,  1898- 
1901  ;  Rev.  F.  P.  Tower,  1901-02;  Rev.  F.  B.  Stockdale,  1902-1905;  Rev.  F. 
Dunwell  Walter,  1905-1909;  Rev.  James  E.  Holmes,  1909-1911;  Rev.  Charles  E. 
Barto,  1911-1914;  Rev.  Walter  E.  Thompson,  1914-1916;  Rev.  A.  F.  Campbell, 
1916. 

The  officers  of  the  church  at  present  are  :  Pastor,  Rev.  A.  F.  Campbell ;  secre- 
tary, William  L.  Woodruff;  treasurer,  John  W.  Potter;  superintendent  of  Sunday 
School,  John  A.  Coe,  Jr. 

GRACE    M.    E.   CHURCH,    WATERVILLE 

Grace  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Waterville,  though  small,  has  been 
classed  in  recent  years  as  one  of  the  most  active  churches  in  the  district.  Since 
its  separation  from  the  First  M.  E.  Church  in  1882,  it  has  organized  activities 
along  the  splendid  lines  of  the  mother  church  and  has  contributed  liberally  to 
all  Methodist  activities. 

This  year  it  mourns  the  death  of  Rev.  J.  J.  Moffatt,  who  was  its  first  pastor, 
and  who  later  again  served  the  congregation. 

In  1896  the  Sunday  School  addition  and  the  present  parsonage  were  erected. 
In  1909,  during  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  Otto  Brand,  now  field  secretary  of 
the  Methodist  Hospital  in  Brooklyn,  the  entire  church  indebtedness  was  wiped 
out.  In  191 2  the  land  at  the  rear  of  the  present  house  of  worship  was  donated 
and  will  be  used  later  for  additional  church  buildings. 

At  present  its  membership  is  115,  with  nearly  an  equal  attendance  at  Sunday 
School. 

The  pastors  of  Grace  Church  in  the  past  quarter  century  have  been  Rev.  A.  H. 
White,  Rev.  X.  W.  Wilder.  Rev.  W.  J.  Judd,  Rev.  A.  L.  Hubbard.  Rev.  H.  O. 
Trinkus,  Rev.  J.  J.  Moffatt,  Rev.  F.  L.  Buckwalter,  Rev.  X.  F.  Honald.  Rev. 
Otto  Brand,  Rev.  Samuel  Johnson,  Rev.  E.  S.  Belden,  and  the  present  incumbent, 
Rev.  Ceo.  W.  Servis,  who  began  his  pastorate  in  August.  1916. 

The  present  officers  of  the  church  are:  Pastor,  Rev.  Geo.  W.  Servis;  secre- 
tary. F.  \V.  Wightman;  treasurer,  James  Gift:  superintendent  of  Sunday  School, 
Roy  Ferris. 

st.  paul's  methodist  episcopal  church 

St.  Paul's  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  101  Fast  Farm  Street,  celebrated 
its  twenty-fifth  anniversary  in  [913.  In  191  1  the  Sunday  School,  which  had  been 
organized  two  years  prior  to  the  establishment  of  the  church,  celebrated  its 
quarter  centennial. 

On  April  1,  1917.  the  membership  was  372.     It-  present  pastor,  Rev.  Charles 


116  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

E.  Benedict,  came  to  the  church  in  April,  191 5,  succeeding  Rev.  A.  J.  Smith,  dur- 
ing whose  pastorate  the  new  pipe  organ  was  installed.  Other  pastors  of  the  last 
quarter  century  are  Rev.  Geo.  A.  Brunson,  Rev.  E.  D.  Bassett,  who  was  with  the 
church  seven  years,  Rev.  C.  Lepley,  and  the  Rev.  J.  P.  Wagner,  who  died  during 
the  present  year. 

The  new  parsonage  next  to  the  church  on  East  Farm  Street  was  erected  during 
the  last  decade. 

The  present  officers  of  the  church  are  as  follows :     Pastor,  Rev.  Charles  E.  . 
Benedict ;  secretary,  Elmer  L.  Hough ;  treasurer,  Albert  J.  Smith ;  superintendent 
of  Sunday  School,  Robert  Buik. 

SOUTH   M.  E.  AND  WEST  SIDE  HILL  CHURCHES 

The  South  M.  E.  Church,  at  1338  Baldwin  Street,  had  on  April  1,  1917,  a 
membership  of  213,  but  this  has  been  slightly  reduced  during  the  year  by  the 
establishment  of  a  sister  church,  the  West  Side  Hill,  of  which  the  need  has  long 
been  apparent.  For  some  time  Rev.  R.  F.  Shinn  has  been  in  charge  of  a  mission 
at  that  point,  which  now  has  developed  into  a  separate  church,  with  Rev.  R.  F. 
Shinn  as  its  first  pastor.     It  has  taken  over  the  mission  property. 

The  Rev.  W.  J.  Ashforth  is  the  pastor  of  the  South  M.  E.  Church.  Other 
officers  of  this  church  for  the  year  1917  are  as  follows:  Recording  secretary, 
William  A.  Houston ;  financial  secretary,  Walter  A.  Rose ;  treasurer  and  Sunday 
School  superintendent,  Myron  Hutch. 

MOUNT  OLIVE  A.  M.  E.  ZION  CHURCH  OF  WATERBURY 

In  1904  Mount  Olive  A.  M.  E.  Zion  Church  celebrated  the  quarter  century 
of  its  establishment,  with  the  building  of  its  new  church  at  86  Pearl  Street.  Its 
membership  has  shown  a  steady  growth,  being  close  to  150  in  1917,  with  a  Sunday 
School  attendance  of  about  140. 

The  church  has  taken  a  prominent  part  in  the  national  work  of  the  African 
Methodist  Episcopal  denomination.  This  has  been  particularly  true  during  the 
present  pastorate,  that  of  the  Rev.  J.  W.  McDonald,  now  going  on  its  fourth  year, 
and  of  his  predecessors,  the  Revs.  J.  S.  Cole,  H.  M.  Mickings,  Calvin  S.  Whitted, 
Fisher  and  McCallum. 

The  officers  of  the  church  in  1917  are:  Pastor,  J.  W.  McDonald;  secretary, 
Willis  W.  Holland ;  treasurer,  R.  L.  Brinkley. 

FIRST   BAPTIST   CHURCH   OF   WATERBURY 

Two  events  of  transcendent  importance  in  the  history  of  the  First  Baptist 
Church  of  Waterbury  during  the  past  twenty-five  years  are,  first,  its  centennial 
celebration  in  1904,  and,  second,  the  dedication  in  the  fall  of  1917  of  its  mag- 
nificent new  church  building,  at  the  corner  of  Grove  Street  and  Central  Avenue, 
which  has  just  been  completed. 

The  centennial  celebration  began  November  1,  1904,  on  which  day  the 
sermons,  both  morning  and  evening,  were  delivered  by  the  pastor.  Rev.  Oscar 
Haywood,  D.  D.  On  Monday,  November  2d,  the  joint  meeting  of  the  Baptist 
Ministers'  Conference  of  New  Haven  and  Hartford,  and  the  Protestant  Ministers' 
Club  of  Waterbury  were  held. 

In  the  evening  of  that  day  a  memorable  address  on  "The  Best  Way  of  Van- 
quishing" was  delivered  by  the  Rev.  Wayland  Hoyt,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  of  Phila- 


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£ 


WATERBURY  AXD  THE  NAUGATUCK   \  ALLEY  117 

delphia,  before  the  Society  of  Christian  Endeavor.  On  Tuesday,  Woman's  Day, 
Doctor  Hoyt  spoke  on  "Soul  Worship." 

Wednesday  was  Missionary  Day,  with  the  address  by  Rev.  Albert  Arnold 
Bennett,  D.  D.,  of  Japan. 

On  Thursday,  Old  Home  Day,  an  address  was  delivered  by  Rev.  P.  G. 
Wightman  and  the  First  Church  took  part  for  the  first  time  in  the  conference  of 
the  Centennial  Churches  of  the  New  Haven  Association.  This  conference  com- 
prised, in  addition  to  Waterbury,  Meriden,  1786;  Middletown,  1795;  Southington, 
1738;  Cromwell,  1802;  Clinton,  1797;  Winthrop,   1744,  and  Wallingford,  1790. 

Later  in  the  day  addresses  were  delivered  by  Prof.  D.  G.  Porter  and  Rev. 
T.  A.  T.  Hanna. 

It  was  in  1897  that  the  women  of  the  church  began  the  great  work  of  co- 
ordinating their  denominational  labors.  The  women  of  the  church  thought  they 
could  do  better  work  if  all  the  lines,  viz. :  social,  parish,  and  missionary,  were 
brought  under  one  organization. 

On  April  20,  1898,  they  decided  to  make  this  change,  and  formed  the  Mission- 
ary and  Social  Union  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Waterbury.  In  this  new 
departure,  they  were  largely  assisted  by  the  wise  counsel  of  the  late  Doctor  Parry. 
The  society  embraces  all  of  the  women's  distinctive  work,  and  aims  to  include 
in  its  membership  every  woman  of  the  church.  It  has  three  departments :  Parish 
Work.  Home  Missions,  and  Foreign  Missions.  It  has  a  chairman  in  charge  of 
each  line  of  its  work.  Thursday  of  each  week  is  its  "At  Home"  day,  two  hostesses 
being  in  charge  of  the  parlor  all  day,  while  all  women's  meetings  are  scheduled 
to  appear  at  some  specified  hour.        k 

A.  D.  Field,  a  man  of  affairs  and  of  large  experience  in  the  management  and 
control  of  finances,  devised,  during  the  year  1901,  a  plan  of  endowment  for  the 
church  known  as  "The  Surplus  Fund."  It  is  incorporated  under  the  laws  of 
Connecticut,  and  no  investment  as  a  public  benefaction  could  be  more  diligently 
safeguarded  by  legal  enactment.  In  the  year  1901  $1,000  was  contributed  by 
members  of  the  church  to  this  fund, — that  amount  being  required  by  the  articles 
of  incorporation  before  the  fund  could  be  established.  It  is  more  especially 
designed  to  afford  security  for  money  and  property  which  may  be  given  to  the 
church  through  wills  and  deeds  of  gift. 

It  is  a  perpetual  endowment,  of  which  the  trustees  are  custodians,  under  bond 
in  the  amount  of  the  market  value  of  the  assets  of  the  fund. 

Among  the  pastors  of  the  past  twenty-five  years  were  many  celebrated  church- 
men. Rev.  W.  P.  Elsdon,  who,  after  a  serious  illness,  went  totally  blind,  had  in 
1892  increased  the  membership  by  200  during  his  four-year  pastorate.  He  was 
succeeded  by  Rev.  Francis  J.  Parry,  D.  D.,  who  died  during  his  pastorate.  After 
him  came  Rev.  Oscar  Haywood,  Rev.  Albert  G.  Lawson,  and  in  1912  the  present 
pastor,  Rev.  Horace  B.  Sloat. 

The  membership  of  the  church's  Italian  mission,  which  is  showing  a  steady 
growth,  is  now  sixty.  Its  present  pastor  is  Rev.  John  Barone.  The  memberhip 
of  the  church  in  191 7  is  802 — 605  resident  and  150  non-resident  members. 

Dedicatory  and  Old  Home  week,  in  which  the  new  church  edifice  was  first 
occupied,  took  place  from  September  23  to  30,  1917- 

The  officers  of  the  church,  elected  in  1917,  are:  Trustees,  Loren  R.  Carter, 
Wm.  H.  Robbins,  C.  P.  Haight;  deacons,  V.  M.  Shaw,  Wm.  R.  Dixon,  Geo.  H. 
Carter,  David  Crandall,  Wm.  O'Neill,  Loren  Durner,  A.  J.  Shipley,  E.  G.  Terry ; 
deaconesses,  Mrs.  E.  W.  Smith,  Miss  Margaret  McWhinnie ;  treasurer,  Warren  S. 
Trott ;  clerk.  Burton  J.  Hine ;  assistant  clerk,  C.  A.  Peck ;  collector,  Geo.  W.  Wat- 
son ;  assistant  collector,  Lyman  Rich. 


118      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

SECOND  BAPTIST  CHURCH   OF  WATERBURY 

The  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  the  founding-  of  the  Second  Baptist  Church 
of  Waterbury  was  celebrated  in  the  fall  of  1917,  although  the  actual  date  of  the 
organization  of  the  church  was  May  17,  1892.  The  postponement  for  a  few 
months  was  due  to  the  desire  to  dedicate  the  new  pipe  organ,  the  intallation  of 
which  was  a  feature  of  the  anniversary. 

Twenty-five  years  ago  the  congregation  put  up  a  small  chapel  for  services,  and 
this  has  since  been  moved  back  to  make  place  for  the  fine  auditorium  built  a  few 
years  later.  The  chapel  is  now  used  for  the  Sunday  School.  The  membership  of 
the  church  is  no.  The  Sunday  School  has  an  enrollment  of  150,  with  an  average 
attendance  of  100. 

The  Rev.  Harvey  W.  Funk  came  to  the  church  in  November,  1915,  succeeding 
Rev.  J.  F.  Vaught,  who  had  been  its  pastor  for  eight  years. 

The  officers  of  the  church  elected  in  1917  are  as  follows :  Pastor,  Rev.  Harvey 
W.  Funk ;  clerk,  Esther  Mitchell ;  treasurer,  Edward  J.  Morgan. 

GRACE    BAPTIST    CHURCH 

The  Grace  Baptist  Church  was  organized  on  April  15,  1900.  to  provide  a  place 
of  worship  for  the  colored  population  of  that  denomination.  Rev.  Isaac  W.  Reed, 
the  present  pastor,  has  been  with  the  congregation  during  its  entire  existence, 
except  the  first  eight  months.  The  pastor  at  its  organization  was  Rev.  J.  Moses 
Hopkins. 

The  church  building,  which  was  erected  immediately  after  the  organization, 
was  cleared  of  debt  six  years  ago. 

At  the  outset,  the  membership  was  17.  This  year  it  has  enrolled  160,  with  no 
in  the  Sunday  School.  In  fact,  the  growth  has  been  so  continuous  that  a  new 
and  larger  house  of  worship  is  now  in  contemplation. 

The  officers  elected  for  1917  are  :  Pastor,  Rev.  Isaac  W.  Reed  ;  clerk,  Caroline 
Lee ;  superintendent  of  Sunday  School,  Miss  M.  L.  Benton, 

SWEDISH    BAPTIST  TABERNACLE 

On  May  10  and  12,  1917,  the  Swedish  Baptist  Tabernacle  celebrated  its 
twenty-fifth  anniversary  as  a  church.  During  its  struggling  years  it  worshipped 
in  a  chapel  near  the  site  of  the  present  church,  22  Bishop  Street.  Twelve  years  ago, 
during  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  A.  O.  Lawrence,  it  began  the  erection  of  its  present 
church  home,  worshipping  in  the  basement  for  some  time.  During  the  pastorate 
of  Rev.  A.  Linde,  the  church  was  completed  and  dedicated.  For  the  past  two 
years  its  pastor  has  been  the  Rev.  O.  W.  Johnson,  who  succeeded  Rev.  Nils  Berg, 
who  had  come  to  the  church  direct  from  Sweden.  The  membership  of  the  church 
is  68,  with  a  Sunday  School  attendance  of  30.  The  services  are  well  attended, 
those  present  on  Sunday  evening,  including  visitors,  numbering  from  75  to  ICO 
regularly. 

The  officers  of  the  church,  elected  in  191 7,  are  as  follows :  Pastor,  Rev.  O.  W. 
Johnson ;  treasurer,  Gustaf  R.  Erickson ;  clerk  and  superintendent  of  Sunday 
School,  Nils  A.  Hilding. 

GERMAN  EVANGELICAL  LUTHERAN  CHURCH  OF  WATERBURY 

In  October,  1916,  the  German  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  of  Waterbury  cele- 
brated the  quarter  century  of  its  existence.     Its  present  pastor  is  Rev.  Martin  J. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  119 

Lorenz,  who  came  to  the  church  four  years  ago  from  Lindenhurst,  L.  I.,  succeed- 
ing the  Rev.  L.  Brunke,  who  died  last  year.  Its  first  pastor  was  Rev.  \\'m.  Jentsch, 
who  served  from  1891  to  [898.  He  was  succeeded  by  Doctor  Minkus,  Rev. 
Richard  Pfeil  and  Rev.  J.  A.  Lenke. 

In  May,  1916,  a  site  for  a  church  was  purchased  on  Grove  Street,  and  during 
the  coming  year,  if  building  conditions  improve,  a  new  house  of  worship  will  be 
erected.  The  church  started  with  a  membership  of  30  and  now  has  275  contribut- 
ing members. 

The  officers  of  the  church,  elected  in  1917,  are:  Pastor,  Rev.  Martin  ]\ 
Lorenz ;  secretary,  Edward  Koslosky ;  treasurer,  Ernest  Burtsch. 

THE    EVANGELICAL    LUTHERAN    ST.    JOHN'S    CHURCH    OF    WATERBURY 

The  Evangelical  Lutheran  St.  John's  Church  was  founded  September  20,  1903, 
by  the  following  German  citizens  of  Waterbury:  Reinhold  Brenner,  Gustav 
Nickel,  Ernest  Schnabel,  Robert  Molzon,  Frederick  Marlow,  August  Schmidt, 
Henrick  Bojke,  Ferd.  Kranvitz,  Daniel  Kratzke,  Ed  Litwin.  It  was  served  as 
a  mission  during  the  first  year  by  Rev.  O.  Duessel,  of  Bristol.  In  1904,  the 
Swedish  Lutheran  Church  on  Cherry  Street  was  rented  and  its  first  pastor  in 
this  church  was  Rev.  August  Koerber,  who  remained  until  1905.  His  successor 
was  Rev.  Julius  Kretzmann.  In  1906,  during  his  pastorate,  the  church  was  incor- 
porated and  the  building  at  48-50  Park  Place  was  purchased.  In  this  building 
the  congregation  worshipped  until  November,  1916,  when  it  was  sold  and  tem- 
porary arrangements  were  made  to  hold  services  in  the  parish  house  of  St.  John's 
Episcopal  Church.  Contract  has  been  let  for  a  new  church  building,  and  it  is  now 
in  process  of  erection  on  Cooke  Street,  between  Grove  and  North  Main  streets. 
It  is  expected  to  be  occupied  early  in  1918. 

Rev.  Julius  Kretzmann  left  in  1909  for  New  Haven,  and  for  a  time  continued 
to  serve  the  Waterbury  congregation.  On  July  18,  1909,  Rev.  Valentin  Geist 
came  to  the  church.  He  remained  until  January  5,  1914,  and  was  succeeded  by 
Rev.  F.  H.  Lindemann.  The  present  pastor,  Rev.  Edward  Paul  Merkel,  came  to 
the  church  in  August,  1916. 

The  church  has  85  enrolled  on  its  list,  and  a  Sunday  School  of  about  20,  with 
three  teachers  in  charge.  The  officers  of  the  church  at  present  are:  Pastor,  Rev. 
Edward  P.  Merkel ;  secretary,  F.  H.  A.  Buf e ;  treasurer,  H.  Abel. 

SWEDISH    EVANGELICAL    LUTHERAN    ZION    CHURCH    OF    WATERBURY 

The  Swedish  Evangelical  Lutheran  Zion  Church  of  Waterbury  was  organized 
January  I,  1891,  and  celebrated  its  twenty-fifth  anniversary  in  1916.  It  has  its 
own  house  of  worship  at  210  Cherry  Street,  and  its  membership  has  shown  steady 
growth  during  the  past  decade. 

Its  officers,  elected  in  1917,  are  as  follows:  Pastor,  Rev.  J.  Herman  Olsson ; 
secretary,  Carl  E.  Olander ;  treasurer,  Fred  Person. 

SECOND  ADVENT  CHRISTIAN  CHURCH  OF  WATERBURY 

The  Second  Advent  Christian  Church  of  Waterbury  was  organized  May  12, 
1881,  with  about  a  dozen  members.  The  late  Thomas  Fitzsimons  and  Kendrick 
1 1.  Simons  were  largely  instrumental  in  effecting  the  same,  and  both  remained 
members  until  their  death.  The  widow  of  the  latter,  Mrs.  Maria  A.  Simons,  of 
04  Cherry  Street,  Waterbury,  is  the  only  surviving  charter  member  at  the  present 
lime. 


120  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

The  pastors  have  been  as  follows,  in  the  order  named :  Rev.  Geo.  L.  Teeple, 
Rev.  L.  F.  Baker,  Rev.  Cornelius  Pike,  Rev.  Jas.  A.  Gardner,  Rev.  Chester  F.  L. 
Smith,  Rev.  A.  Judson  Bolster,  and  the  present  pastor,  Rev.  Thomas  Feltman. 

For  several  years  after  organization,  the  services  were  held  in  a  hall  on  Bank 
Street,  but  in  1886,  during  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  L.  F.  Baker,  a  church  building 
was  erected  on  the  present  Cherry  Street  site.  This  building  was  remodeled  in 
1906 — the  year  of  the  church's  twenty-fifth  anniversary.  A  Sunday  School  room 
was  arranged  in  the  basement. 

The  debt  incurred  on  the  original  building  and  for  remodeling  was  cleared  off 
in  1914,  during  the  term  of  the  present  pastor,  and  a  special  service  was  held  in 
the  fall  of  that  year,  at  which  the  burning  of  the  note  took  place. 

On  July  3,  1913,  the  church  was  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  Connecticut. 
The  present  membership  is  147.  The  present  officers  are :  Deacons,  Theo.  Patchen, 
Samuel  J.  Bonney;  assistant  deacon,  Wm.  Strong;  elders,  Charles  H.  Chatfield, 
Geo.  Read ;  treasurer,  Eben  J.  Lewis ;  collector,  Harry  S.  Johnson ;  steward, 
Wm.  Moulthrop ;  Sunday  School  superintendent,  Charles  B.  Slater,  and  clerk, 
Henry  D.  Curtiss. 

THE    FIRST   CHURCH    OF    CHRIST,    SCIENTIST 

On  January  19,  1898,  the  First  Church  of  Christ,  Scientist,  was  organized, 
with  the  following  charter  members :  Leon  I.  Wood,  Carrie  W.  Blakeslee,  Mary 
T.  Thompson,  Winifred  A.  Wood,  and  George  G.  Blakeslee.  The  first  readers 
appointed  were  Mrs.  Geo.  Blakeslee  and  Mr.  Leon  I.  Wood. 

There  has  been  a  steady,  healthy  growth  and  during  the  past  year  a  site  for  a 
building  was  purchased  at  the  corner  of  Holmes  and  Mitchell  Avenue.  The  new 
structure,  it  is  stated,  will  probably  be  erected  during  the  next  year. 

At  present,  the  Sunday  and  Wednesday  evening  meetings  are  held  in  the 
reading  rooms  in  the  Buckingham  building. 

The  present  readers  are  Mrs.  Belle  Stone  Booth,  Mrs.  Ada  B.  Soper.  The 
president  of  the  society  is  Mr.  Harry  A.  Soper,  and  its  treasurer  is  Mrs.  Minnie 
T.  Manville.     Mr.  Lyman  D.  Lewis  is  clerk. 

buck's  hill  union  chapel 

Buck's  Hill  Union  Chapel  is  non-denominational.  It  was  founded  twenty- 
two  years  ago,  the  ground  for  the  house  of  worship  having  been  donated  by  the 
late  George  Faber,  Sr.  Its  membership  is  about  fifty.  It  expects  soon  to  have 
a  Sunday  School  organized.  At  present  its  pastor  is  Rev.  Roscoe  E.  Hatch,  of 
All  Souls'  Parish.    Its  officers  are  Wm.  Foster  and  W.  A.  Piatt. 

UNION    CHAPEL,    MILL    PLAIN 

Union  Chapel,  Mill  Plain,  is  non-denominational,  its  four  trustees,  M.  E. 
Pierpont,  F.  W.  Ineson,  H.  M.  Judd,  H.  I.  Abel,  representing  the  four  protestant 
denominations — Episcopal,  Methodist,  Congregational  and  Baptist. 

Its  membership  is  about  two  hundred  and  its  Sunday  School  has  an  attendance 
of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty.  It  is  served  by  a  pastor  of  each  of  the  above 
denominations  once  each  month. 

The  church,  which  is  thirty  years  old,  had  much  to  overcome  after  its  build- 
ing burned,  but  the  new  structure  is  in  every  way  adequate,  and  the  membership 
is  showing  a  steady  growth. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  121 

WATERVILLE  CHAPEL 

Waterville  Chapel  is  now  celebrating  the  end  of  its  first  decade  of  non- 
denominational  work.  It  has  a  membership  of  fifty,  with  forty-five  in  attendance 
at  Sunday  School. 

Its  pastor  is  Miss  M.  A.  Barrett.  The  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  School 
is  Miss  E.  M.  Weeks.  Its  executive  board  consists  of  S.  Butcher.  Jr.,  M. 
McAllister,  and  Robert  Benninghoff. 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE  CATHOLIC  CHURCHES  OF  WATERBURY 

catholic  population  by  parishes immaculate'  conception st.  patrick's 

its  dedication sacred  heart st.  ann's st.  cecilia st.  francis  xavier 

— st.  Joseph's — st.  thomas — our  lady  of  lourdes — st.  Margaret's — blessed 

sacrament st.    michael's st.    stanislaus convents    and    schools 

holy  name  society sketches  of  monsignor  slocum  and  father  curtin 

m'givney  day. 

Waterbury's  Catholic  population  was  estimated  at  one-half  the  census  figures 
for  the  city  in  1890.  In  1917,  with  a  population  of  approximately  100,000,  it  can 
conservatively  be  placed  at  55  to  60  per  cent  of  the  total.  Reliable  parish 
figures  bear  this  out  and  the  table  compiled  here  is  as  given  by  the  church 
authorities  in  each  instance. 

Immaculate    Conception 6,700 

Sacred   Heart 3,600 

St.  Patrick's 3,000 

Our  Lady  of  Lourdes  (Italian ) 17,500 

St.  Joseph's  (Lithuanian) 6,000 

St.  Ann's  ( French) 4,000 

St.   Francis  Xavier 3,000 

St.  Stanislaus  (Polish) 1,300 

St.  Cecilia   (German) 3,000 

St.    Michael's 1,000 

St.    Margaret's 2,100 

Blessed    Sacrament 850 

St.  Thomas 2,200 

Total 54,250 

This  growth  from  that  beginning  eighty  years  ago  when  Cornelius  Donnelly 
was  the  only  Catholic  living  here  is  a  marvelous  record.  Where  in  1847  there 
was  a  small  one-story  frame  church  dedicated  by  the  small  Catholic  community, 
there  are  today  thirteen  distinct  parishes,  as  many  beautiful  churches,  six 
parochial  schools,  six  convents,  rectories  in  practically  every  parish,  St.  Mary's 
Hospital,  one  of  the  largest  of  its  class  in  New  England,  and  St.  Mary's  Day 
Nursery. 

This  large  Catholic  population  has  always  been  foremost  in  all  public  move- 
ments. It  has  aided  in  every  civic  endeavor  to  beautify  the  city  and  to  make 
it  a  better  municipality,  morally  and  physically. 

While  it  has  its  own  parochial  schools  in  a  few  parishes  it  has  taken  a  deep 
interest  in  the  building-up  of  the  city's  public  school  system.  Father  Hugh 
Treanor,  among  many  of  the  Catholic  faith,  serves  on  its  school  board.  In 
fact,  it  was  during  the  chairmanship  of  Father  Treanor  that  much  of  the  work 
of  thoroughly  organizing  the  school  system  of  the  city  was  done. 

122 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NTAUGATUCK  \  ALLEY  123 

In  the  following  history  of  the  parishes,  the  records  are  confined  largely  to 
those  of  the  past  twenty-five  years,  and  supplement  the  excellent  work  done  in 
the  previous  histories  of  Waterbury. 

MM     CHURCH    OF    THE    [MMACULATE    CONCEPTION 

In   the    parish   of   the   Immaculate    Conception    rests   the   beginning   of   the 

Catholic  church  work  in  Waterbury.  The  memory  of  the  Right  Rev.  T.  F. 
Hendricken,  who  built  the  present  Church  of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  dedi- 
cating it  December  [9,  [855,  is  revered  hy  Catholics  and  non-Catholics  alike, 
for  his  activities  were  community-wide  and  he  laid  not  alone  a  wonderful  corner- 
stone for  the  church,  hut  one  upon  which  many  of  the  city's  noblest  benefactions 
have  been  erected.  Without  going  deeply  into  the  earlier  history  of  this  parish, 
it  is  well  to  add  that  during  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  William  A.  Harty  part  of  the 
present  Calvary  Cemetery  was  purchased,  part  of  the  land  for  St.  Joseph's 
Cemetery  having  been  bought  by  Father  Hendricken. 

During  the  pastorate  of  Father  John  A.  Mulcahy,  St.  Mary's  School  was 
built  and  opened  in  1896,  and  was  then  placed  in  charge  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity 
from  Convent  Station,  N.  J.  Its  first  superior  was  Sister  Rosita,  who  was 
succeeded  by  Sister  Marie  Agnes,  and  she  by  the  present  superior,  Sister 
Claudine.  St.  Mary's  Convent  was  occupied  on  November  27,  1889.  St. 
Patrick's  Hall  was  built  the  same  year.  In  1891  Father  Mulcahy  greatly  enlarged 
by  purchase  the  property  of  the  church  now  known  as  Calvary  Cemetery. 
This  was  consecrated  by  the  bishop  of  the  diocese  May  24,  1894.  The  splendid 
work  of  Monsignor  Slocum  followed,  and  St.  Mary's  Hospital,  which  he  founded 
but  the  completion  of  which  he  did  not  live  to  see,  will  remain  an  enduring 
monument  to  his  memory.  A  sketch  of  the  life  work  of  Monsignor  Slocum,  as 
well  as  the  history  of  St.   Mary's   Hospital,  will  be   found  elsewhere. 

Rev.  Luke  Fitzsimons,  the  present  pastor,  delivered  his  first  sermon  in 
Waterbury  August  6,  19 10.  His  work  has  been  in  line  with  all  the  beneficent 
deeds  of  his  predecessors.  Since  coming  to  the  parish,  he  has  established  St. 
Mary's  Day  Nursery,  in  which  approximately  seventy-five  children  are  cared  for 
daily.  These  are  the  children  of  mothers  who  are  compelled  to  work  during  the 
day.  Three  sisters  are  in  charge,  and  not  alone  are  the  children  fed,  but  those 
old  enough  are  given  instruction.  In  191 5  Father  Fitzsimons  bought  the 
Grannis  property  on  Franklin  Street  and  turned  the  home  on  it  into  a  recreation 
hall  and  infirmary  for  children. 

There  are  at  present  in  St.  Mary's  School  1,100  pupils,  with  twenty-two 
sisters  and  one  lay  teacher  in  charge.  St.  Mary's  Convent  houses  twenty-four 
sisters.  St.  Patrick's  Hall  at  no  Fast  Main  Street  has  been  enlarged  since  its 
foundation.  It  contains  two  chapels,  one  for  boys  and  one  for  girls.  The 
Sunday  School  is  also  conducted  there  and  has  an  attendance  of  about  one 
hundred.     This  is  for  children  who  go  to  the  public  school-. 

Father  Fitzsimons  graduated  from  Holy  Cross  College  at  Worcester,  Mass.. 
from  which  place  in  1873  he  went  to  Troy,  N.  Y.,  for  his  theological  course. 
He  was  ordained  a  priest  in  June,  1876.  His  first  assignment  was  as  assistant 
at  Sacred  Heart  Church,  New  Haven.  He  was  four  years  at  Collinsville,  and 
then  became  parish  priest  at  New  Hartford  in  July,  1881,  remaining  there 
until  1900. 

The  four  assistants  to  Father  Fitzsimons  are:  Father  J.  A.  Doherty, 
Father  E.  P.  Cryne.  Father  J.  A.  Dowd  and  Father  F.  M.  O'Shea. 


124  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

st.  Patrick's  church 

On  the  first  day  of  February,  1880,  the  Rev.  John  Duggan  was  appointed  by 
the  Rt.  Rev.  Lawrence  McMahon,  pastor  of  St.  Patrick's  Parish.  About  three 
weeks  later  was  purchased  the  land  upon  which  the  church  stands,  besides  three 
acres  of  adjoining  property.  The  following  year  Father  Duggan  came  to 
Waterbury  and  commenced  the  work  of  the  organization  of  the  parish. 

The  cornerstone  of  St.  Patrick's  Church  was  laid  by  P>ishop  McMahon 
October   16,   1881. 

Father  Duggan  died  November  10,  1895,  and  his  remains  were  buried  in 
front  of  the  church.  The  zeal  of  Father  Duggan  in  behalf  of  his  parishioners 
in  the  decade  and  a  half  which  he  was  spared  to  them  was  productive  of  marvelous 
results.  Father  Duggan  was  immediately  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  Joseph  M. 
Gleeson. 

Father  Gleeson  attended  St.  Dunstan's  Preparatory  College,  afterwards  going 
to  Mount  Mellory,  Ireland,  which  college  was  in  charge  of  the  Cistercian  monks. 
He  spent  five  years  there,  completing  the  classical  course.  His  studies  in 
philosophy  and  theology  were  made  in  the  Grand  Seminary,  Montreal.  He 
was  ordained  to  the  holy  priesthood  by  the  Most  Rev.  Archbishop  Fabre, 
December  23,  1876.  He  was  appointed  assistant  to  the  Rev.  Michael  Tierney, 
the  present  bishop,  then  pastor  of  St.  John's  Church,  Stamford,  where 
he  remained  until  November  1,  1878,  when  he  was  transferred  to  Danielson. 
In  March,  1879,  he  was  sent  as  assistant  to  the  Rev.  Father  Mulcahy.  Father 
Gleeson  was  appointed  by  the  Right  Rev.  Bishop  McMahon,  pastor  of  St. 
Anthony's  Church,  Litchfield,  April  1,  1883.  On  the  28th  day  of  November, 
1885,  he  was  appointed  pastor  of  Portland.  During  his  pastorate  he  brought 
there  the  Sisters  of  Mercy.  The  first  Catholic  school  was  opened  in  Portland 
by  him  February  1,  1889.  He  was  afterwards  appointed  pastor  of  St.  Patrick's 
Church,  Thompsonville.  He  came  to  Waterbury  to  succeed  the  Rev.  Father 
Duggan  December  2,   1895. 

He  immediately  took  up  the  arduous  work  of  finishing  the  church  and 
rectory.  The  plastering  work  on  both  house  and  church  was  then  being  done. 
Besides  carrying  on  the  stupendous  work  of  the  completion  of  the  massive 
structures,  additions  were  made  to  the  Lyceum  Building,  and  a  church  building 
erected  in  the  Waterville  district.  Meanwhile,  the  Sisters  of  St.  Joseph  were 
introduced  into  the  parish.  A  free  kindergarten  school  was  opened  in  the 
Lyceum  and  several  new  societies  were  organized. 

But  the  great  task  of  completing  the  church  ended  in  1903,  and  on  Sunday, 
January  18th  of  that  year,  the  magnificent  edifice  was  solemnly  dedicated  by 
Right  Rev.  Bishop  Tierney. 

After  the  dedicatory  services,  pontifical  mass  was  celebrated,  His  Eminence, 
Cardinal  Gibbons,  being  celebrant.  The  sermon  at  the  morning  service  was 
preached  by  the  Rev.  D.  J.  Stafford,  D.  D.,  of  Washington.  In  the  evening 
solemn  high  vespers  were  sung  by  the  famous  Bishop  Harkins  of  Providence, 
R.  L,  and  the  sermon  was  preached  by  the  Rev.  M.  F.  Fallon,  O.  M.  I.,  of 
Buffalo. 

The  several  services  were  marked  by  that  richness  of  ritual,  splendor  of 
ceremony  and  gorgeous  magnificence  which  is  characteristic  of  Catholic  services. 
The  magnificent  singing,  the  splendor  of  the  church,  the  beauty  of  the  service 
and  the  presence  of  so  many  priests,  all  were  inspiring.  Greater  dignity  was 
added  to  the  gathering  by  the  presence  of  His  Eminence,  Cardinal  Gibbons, 
Bishop  Tierney  of  Hartford,  Bishop  Harkins  of  Providence,,  and  Monsignor 
Murphy  of  Dover,  N.  H. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  125 

St.  Patrick's  Church  is  situated  in  the  heart  of  the  Brooklyn  district  on 
high  ground  on  a  lot  containing  nearly  three  acres.  The  church  fronts  on 
Charles  Street  and  overlooks  the  city.  Its  roof  towers  high  above  almost  every 
other  structure,  and  the  building  proper  is  of  imposing  appearance.  The  church 
is  built  of  a  light  blue  granite,  with  trimmings  of  cut  stone  of  the  same  material, 
and  is  constructed  in  the  most  substantial  and  perfect  manner.  The  basement 
is  more  than  fifteen  feet  in  height,  and  has  a  seating  capacity  of  over  one  thousand 
persons.  There  are  four  spacious  entrances  to  the  basement,  one  at  each  corner 
of  the  building,  and  two  flights  of  stairs  connecting  with  the  church  above. 

Although  the  nave  of  the  basement  is  seventy-six  feet  wide,  there  are  but 
two  rows  of  iron  columns  placed  under  the  clerestory  columns  of  the  church 
above  and  supporting  them.  The  church  floors  are  supported  upon  heavy  com- 
pound wrought  iron  girders,  resting  on  these  columns  and  on  the  walls,  so  that 
the  basement  is  clear  of  all  obstruction,  excepting  these,  and  preserves  the 
comfort  and  convenience  of  a  finished  church.  Tt  is  lighted  by  large  windows 
of  cathedral  glass.  The  width  between  the  main  side  walls  is  seventy-six  feet. 
The  style  of  the  building  is  the  early  decorated  Gothic,  which  prevailed  at  the 
commencement  of  the  fourteenth  century,  when  the  expressive  features  of 
Christian  architecture  were  developed. 

The  tower  is  in  the  northeast  corner,  fronting  on  Charles  Street.  It  does 
not  grow  out  of  the  church,  but  is  distinct  itself,  carrying  out  the  monumental 
idea  of  a  church  tower.  The  main  entrance  comprises  three  large  doorways, 
besides  one  in  the  tower  communicating  with  the  church  and  with  the  end 
•jalleries  which  extend  across  the  nave.     The  auditorium  will  have  a  seating 


s 


capacity  of  1,525  persons.  At  the  sanctuary  end  are  two  other  entrances  con- 
necting with  the  church  proper,  with  the  basement  by  a  staircase,  and  with  the 
sacristies  on  each  side  of  the  sanctuary,  which  are  connected  by  a  passway 
between  the  altar. 

The  parish  of  St.  Patrick  numbers  about  three  thousand  souls.  As  the  parish  of 
the  Blessed  Sacrament  has  been  largely  taken  from  St.  Patrick's,  there  is  no 
apparent  growth  shown,  although  this  has  in  fact  been  considerable  in  its  more 
limited  territory. 

Including  the  children,  the  Sunday  attendance  approximates  one  thousand 
two  hundred. 

When  the  church  was  dedicated  in  1903  it  had  a  debt  of  $85,000.00.  Today 
the  debt  is  about  $33,000.00  and  just  as  soon  as  this  is  liquidated,  the  church  will 
begin  the  erection  of  a  school  and  convent  for  the  parish. 

The  assistants  to  Father  Gleeson  are  Father  Thomas  A.  Grumbley  and  Father 
Daniel  J.  Manning. 

SACRED    HEART    CHURCH 

On  Sunday,  February  15,  1885,  the  Rev.  William  Harty,  then  rector  of 
the  parish  of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  made  the  formal  announcement  that 
the  Right  Rev.  Bishop  McMahon  had  established  a  new  parish  in  the  city.  The 
announcement  was  not  entirely  unexpected,  as  rumors  of  the  intended  division 
had  been  current  for  some  time.  The  new  parish  was  to  comprise  East  Main 
Street  east  of  Dublin  Street,  all  of  Dublin  Street,  the  east  side  of  Welton  Street, 
Walnut  Street  and  all  of  the  streets  east  of  these  points,  and  would  include 
between  1.500  and  2,000  souls.  The  Rev.  Hugh  Treanor,  who  for  six  years 
had  been  the  efficient  assistant  pastor  of  St.  Mary's  Church,  Xorwalk.  was 
appointed  pastor  of  the  new  parish  by  Bishop  McMahon.     A  short  time  after 


126  WATERBURY  AXD  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

the  division  the  land  on  which  the  church  now  stands  was  purchased  by  Father 
Treanor. 

On  Sunday,  February  22,  1885,  Father  Treanor  preached  his  initial  sermon 
to  his  new  flock  in  the  Church  of  the  Immaculate  Conception.  On  March  1st 
of  the  same  year  the  members  of  the  Sacred  Heart  Parish  held  divine  services 
for  the  first  time  as  a  distinct  congregation  in  St.  Patrick's  Chapel.  Services 
were  held  there  until  the  date  of  the  blessing  of  the  basement  of  the  new 
church  March  14,  1886. 

On  Sunday,  August  16,  1885,  the  cornerstone  of  the  new  church  was  laid  by 
Bishop  McMahon.  On  Thanksgiving  Day,  November  28,  1889,  the  new  church 
was  solemnly  dedicated. 

The  cornerstone  was  laid  by  Bishop  McMahon  in  the  presence  of  an  esti- 
mated attendance  of  8,000  persons.  The  sermon  was  preached  by  the  Rev. 
Francis  Delargy  of  the  Order  of  Redemptorists.  The  handsome  silver  trowel 
used  by  the  Bishop  during  the  ceremony  was  presented  to  the  Rev.  John  Russell 
of  New  Haven,  who  was  the  largest  contributor  on  the  occasion. 

On  March  14,  1886,  the  basement  of  the  church  was  blessed  and  formally 
opened  for  divine  worship.  Bishop  McMahon  graced  the  occasion  by  his  presence. 
The  Rev.  John  Russell  was  the  celebrant  of  the  mass  and  the  sermon  was 
preached  by  the  Rev.  William  J.  Slocum,  then  of  Norwalk.  At  the  vesper 
service  confirmation  was  administered  for  the  first  time  in  the  new  church  to  a 
class  of   over  sixty  children. 

Thanksgiving  Day,  November  28,  1889,  witnessed  the  crowning  of  the  good 
work.  On  that  day  the  new  church  edifice  was  solemnly  dedicated  under  the 
patronage  of  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus  by  the  Right  Rev.  Bishop  McMahon. 
The  celebrant  of  the  mass  was  the  Rev.  Michael  Tierney,  later  the  bishop  of 
the  diocese.  The  sermon  was  preached  by  the  Rev.  Thomas  Broderick  of 
Hartford.  In  the  evening  vespers  were  sung,  the  Rev.  James  Fagan  of  Naugatuck 
officiating. 

In  1893  and  1894  the  present  beautiful  rectory  was  built. 

Father  Treanor  remained  as  head  of  the  parish  for  nearly  thirteen  years, 
leaving  it  to  take  charge  of  St.  Patrick's  Parish,  Norwich.  During  this  period 
of  change,  Rev.  Thomas  Shelley  was  in  charge  of  the  parish,  and  the  school  and 
convent  were  erected  about  ten  years  ago. 

In  October,  1912,  Father  Treanor  returned  and  has  been  active  in  the  work 
of  building  up  the  church  of  which  he  was  the  founder.  In  this  period  he  has 
added  another  story  to  the  school  building,  giving  the  parish  a  fine  hall  for  its 
own  immediate  purposes. 

The  census  of  the  parish  is  now  about  three  thousand.  The  attendance  at  the 
four  masses  Sunday  is  about  two  thousand  two  hundred. 

The  parochial  school  has  an  attendance  of  450  and  is  in  charge  of  ten  sisters. 

st.  ann's  church 

St.  Ann's  Parish  was  founded  in  April,  1886,  to  provide  services  for  the 
French  Catholic  population.  Rev.  Joseph  Fones,  who  was  at  that  time  pastor 
of  St.  John's  Parish,  Watertown,  was  given  this  additional  charge  and  services 
were  held  in  the  old  Universalist  Chapel  on  Grand  Street.  The  first  service  was 
held  on  May  2,  1886.  During  the  following  year,  Father  Fones  devoted  his 
entire  time  to  St.  Ann's  and  purchased  the  lot  on  which  the  present  edifice  stands. 
Rev.  J.  E.  Bourret  succeeded  him  and  planned  the  work  of  building  the  magnifi- 
cent church  which  it  is  hoped  will  soon  be  dedicated. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  127 

Rev.  Joseph  E.  Senesac,  his  successor,  who  died  April  16,  1906.  undertook 
the  actual  erection  of  the  magnificent  new  church  at  South  Main  and  Dover 
streets.  Trihutes  were  paid  to  his  work  when  the  cornerstone  of  the  edifice 
was  laid  hy  Right  Rev.  Michael  Tiemey,  Bishop  of  Hartford.,  on  May  27,  1906, 
a  little  over  a  month  after  he  had  passed  away.  Father  A.  R.  Grolleau,  pastor  of 
St.  Aim's  Church,  Fall  River,  delivered  the  sermon  in  French.  The  clergy  of 
the  entire  diocese  participated. 

The  exterior  of  the  church  is  now  complete,  hut  the  interior  work  is  still 
unfinished,  the  basement,  which  will  eventually  he  the  parish  hall,  heing  used 
for  church  services. 

Rev.  Ernest  A.  Lamontagne  built  the  new  convent  six  years  ago.  The  school 
too  has  heen  greatly  enlarged  and  is  conducted  by  eighteen  Sisters  of  the  Holy 
(■host,  who  in  1906  succeeded  the  Notre  Dame  Sisters. 

The  property  of  the  parish  today  comprises  the  magnificent  church  which 
is  built  of  granite  and  Vermont  blue  marble,  two  schools,  the  assembly  hall,  the 
rectory  and  the  convent. 

The  census  of  the  parish  places  the  population  at  4,000.  The  enrollment  in 
the  school  is  650. 

Father  Lamontagne  has  taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  organization  of  the  social 
work  of  the  church,  all  the  societies  having  large  and  enthusiastic  memberships. 
He  has  also  organized  the  St.  John  the  Baptist  Guards,  a  semi-military  organiza- 
tion, and  a  troop  of  Boy  Scouts. 

st.  Cecilia's  parish 

The  formation  by  the  German  Catholics  of  Waterbury  of  a  Holy  Family 
Society  in  April,  1892,  was  the  auspicious  beginning  of  St.  Cecilia's  Parish. 
Even  before  the  organization  of  the  parish  the  land  on  Scovill  Street,  on  which 
the  church  now  stands,  was  purchased.  On  November  10,  1892,  Rev.  Farrell 
Martin,  D.  D.,  who  had  been  assistant  at  the  Immaculate  Conception,  was  made 
pastor  of  the  new  parish,  and  the  first  services  were  held  in  the  chapel  of  the 
Sisters  of  Notre  Dame.  The  cornerstone  of  the  new  church  was  laid  July  29, 
1894,  and  the  edifice  was  dedicated  November  18,  1894.  The  master  of  cere- 
monies was  the  Rev.  J.  H.  O'Donnell  of  Watertown.  High  mass  was  celebrated 
by  Vicar-general  Mulcahy,  assisted  by  the  Rev.  J.  H.  Duggan  as  deacon  and  the 
Rev.  William  Lynch  as  sub-deacon.  A  sermon  in  German  was  preached  by  the 
Rev.  John  Roser,  O.  S.  F.,  and  one  in  English  by  the  Rev.  L.  A.  Delury,  O.  S.  A. 

The  building  is  95  feet  long  by  56  feet  wide  on  the  front,  and  has  a  seat- 
ing capacity  of  about  six  hundred.  The  design  is  purely  Gothic ;  the  material 
is  pallet  brick  with  brown  stone  trimmings.  There  are  three  large  entrance 
doors  at  the  front,  with  six  lancet  windows  just  above,  and  over  these  a  large 
rose  window,  glazed  with  opalescent  glass  in  beautiful  tints.  Three  aisles  lead 
to  the  chancel  rail  and  through  three  separate  gates  into  the  sanctuary.  Within 
are  three  altars,  the  main  altar  in  the  center  and  the  altars  of  the  Blessed  Virgin 
and  St.  Joseph  on  either  side.  The  main  windows  are  of  figured  glass.  Directly 
over  the  central  altar  is  the  figure  of  St.  Cecilia  with  pandean  pipes.  Additional 
windows  represent  other  saints,  the  Holy  Family  and  the  immaculate  Conception. 

During  the  pastorate  of  Doctor  Martin  the  rectory  was  also  built.  Father 
Martin  was  succeeded  in  the  pastorate  five  years  ago  by  the  present  pastor, 
Father  Reinhard  Bardeck.  According  to  the  last  church  census,  there  are  in 
the  parish  about  seven  hundred  Catholic  families,  approximately  three  thousand 
souls.     Father  Bardeck  is  a  graduate  of  St.  John'-  Seminary,  at  Brighton,  near 


128  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Boston,  and  was  ordained  in  1900  at  Hartford.  He  was  assistant  in  Rockville 
for  three  years,  and  before  coming  to  Waterbury  had  been  parish  priest  of  a 
German  congregation  in  Hartford. 

ST.  FRANCIS  XAVIER  PARISH 

St.  Francis  Xavier  Parish  was  formed  November  30,  1895.  On  December 
3,  1895,  Rev.  Jeremiah  J.  Curtin  took  charge  as  pastor  and  began  the  building 
up  of  this  great  parish,  a  monument  to  his  labors  of  nearly  twenty-two  years. 
On  December  30,  1895,  the  temporary  rectory  at  the  corner  of  Washington  and 
Baldwin  streets  was  occupned  by  Father  Curtin.  On  January  2,  1896,  the  first 
mass  was  held  for  the  parish  at  the  auditorium. 

On  December  3,  1902,  the  present  site  for  the  new  church  was  purchased 
and  the  cornerstone  was  laid  with  impressive  services  by  Bishop  Tierney  of 
Hartford  on  November  1,  1903. 

The  basement  chapel  was  dedicated  on  November  12,  1905,  and  the  entire 
church  was  opened  with  solemn  services  on  March  4,  1907.  While  the  church 
was  building,  the  rectory  was  also  under  way  and  was  ready  for  occupancy 
in  1905. 

The  church  is  a  beautiful  edifice.  It  is  138  feet  long,  j6  feet  wide.  The 
auditorium  is  85  feet  long  and  68  feet  wide.  The  apex  of  the  ceiling  is  55  feet 
from  the  floor.  The  tower  is  140  feet  above  the  ground  elevation.  Its  seating 
capacity  is  1,150. 

Father  Curtin  also  built  in  1914  the  parish  hall  for  boys  and  opened  a  fine 
playground  with  tennis  courts  in  the  rear  of  the  present  church  property. 

The  census  of  the  parish  places  its  Catholic  population  at  3,000.  At  the 
five  Sunday  masses,  the  attendance  is  about  two  thousand. 

Rev.  James  J.  Egan  succeeded  to  the  pastorate,  coming  from  New  Milford, 
Conn.,  July  11,  1917.     He  is  a  graduate  of  Laval  University,  Montreal. 

His  assistants  are  Fathers  John  P.  Kennedy  and  Edward  Ouinn. 

st.  Joseph's  parish 

St.  Joseph's  Parish,  consisting  of  the  Lithuanian  Catholics  of  Waterbury,  was 
organized  in  1894.  The  Rev.  Joseph  Zabris  was  appointed  pastor  on  March  28th. 
The  first  mass  was  celebrated  on  April  1st,  in  Mitchell's  Block  on  Bank  Street. 

On  September  28th  the  Dreher  property  was  purchased  and  the  erection  of 
a  church  was  begun  on  October  6th.  On  Thanksgiving  Day,  November  29,  1894, 
the  cornerstone  was  laid  with  the  usual  services.  Vicar-general  John  A.  Mulcahy 
performed  the  ceremony  with  Dr.  Farrell  Martin  as  sub-deacon.  The  address 
of  the  occasion  was  delivered  by  the  Rev.  Joseph  Jaksztys.  first  in  the  Lithuanian 
and  then  in  the  Polish  language. 

The  Lithuanian  Catholics  had,  however,  been  organized  for  some  years  prior 
to  the  building  of  their  church.  In  fact,  the  date  of  the  actual  founding  of  St. 
Joseph's  Church  is  given  as  May  1,  1892.  Father  Zabris  was  succeeded  twenty 
years  ago  by  the  Rev.  Peter  Saurusaitis,  who  had  been  ordained  priest  by 
Cardinal  Gibbons.  During  his  pastorate  the  parish  has  grown  so  that  it  now 
numbers  6,000  souls.  The  new  church,  which  has  since  been  erected,  has  a 
seating  capacity  of  800  and  at  the  four  Sunday  masses  it  is  estimated  that  the 
total  attendance  is  about  three  thousand.  The  rectory  has  also  been  constructed 
within  the  decade,  and  a  new  school  has  been  added  to  the  small  old  school,  the 
early  church  structure  which  the  parish  soon  outgrew.    The  new  school  is  directly 


SACRED  HEART  CHURCH  AND  RECTORY,  WATERBURY 


CHURCH  OF  OCR  LADY  OF  LorilDKS.   WATKKIJU!  Y 


WATKKl'.lkY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  129 

opposite  the  church.  The  school  attendance  is  placed  at  900,  with  sixteen  sisters 
in  charge.  The  convent  is  at  the  corner  of  Liberty  and  South  Main  streets.  In  this 
convent,  which  is  strictly  speaking  St.  Ann's  Parish,  other  sisters  are  also  housed. 
These  look  after  the  sick  and  do  other  beneficent  parish  work.  A  notable  event, 
June  10,  1917.  was  the  celebration  of  his  first  mass  by  Father  Joseph  A. 
Yankovsky,  a  young  man  who  was  born  and  raised  in  Waterbury. 
The  assistant  in  the  parish  is  Father  Valantiejus. 

ST.    THOMAS    PARISH 

St.  Thomas  Parish  was  organized  September  25,  1898,  although  the  church 
which  had  been  erected  by  Monsignor  Slocum  at  Crown  and  Beacon  streets  was 
for  some  years  a  chapel  of  the  Parish  of  the  Immaculate  Conception.  Father 
Timothy  Crowley,  now  in  New  London,  was  its  first  pastor.  He  built  the  school 
and  convent  and  in  the  former  there  are  now  350  to  400  children  enrolled,  with 
the  sisters  in  charge.  The  convent  was  erected  opposite  the  school.  The  church 
census  places  the  Catholic  population  of  the  parish  at  2,200. 

Rev.  F.  J.  Lally,  the  present  pastor,  succeeded  Father  James  Cunningham, 
who  died  a  year  after  coming  to  the  church.  Father  Lally  has  been  in  the 
pastorate  six  years,  coming  here  from  Poquonock  Parish.  He  is  a  graduate  of 
the  seminary  at  St.  Bonaventure,  Allegany,  N.  Y. 

Father  William  Kennedy  was  the  first  curate,  Rev.  Timothy  Sullivan  suc- 
ceeding him.  Fathers  Joseph  Ryan,  John  Brennan  and  Wm.  O'Brien  followed, 
and  the  curate  today  is  Father  D.  T.  Moran. 

OUR  LADY  OF   LOURDES   PARISH 

It  is  in  the  Italian  parish  of  "Our  Lady  of  Lourdes"  that  the  phenomenal 
growth  has  taken  place,  estimates  of  the  church  census  being  placed  at  figures 
ranging  from  15,000  to  20,000.  This  is  easily  an  increase  of  7,000  in  five  years, 
and  perhaps  5,000  in  two  years. 

In  the  year  1899  the  Italian  Catholics  of  Waterbury  were  organized  into 
Our  Lady  of  Lourdes  Parish  by  the  Rev.  Father  Michael  A.  Karam,  the  first 
pastor,  at  the  request  of  the  Right  Rev.  Bishop  Tierney. 

Before  Father  Karam's  appointment,  the  Italians  were  under  the  pastoral 
charge  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Martin  of  St.  Cecilia's  German  Parish. 

On  June  11,  1899,  Father  Karam  said  the  first  mass  for  the  Italian  Catholics 
of  Waterbury  in  a  building  on  Canal  Street. 

On  Sunday,  October  25,  1903,  the  cornerstone  of  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes  Church 
was  laid  by  Right  Rev.  Bishop  Tierney,  in  the  presence  of  an  assemblage  of 
between   10,000  and   12,000  people. 

During  the  year  1905,  the  new  rectory  of  gray  brick,  in  the  same  style  as  the 
church,  was  erected,  and  in  the  following  year  Father  Karam  built  in  the  rear 
of  the  rectory  a  small  convent  and  school. 

One  of  the  most  notable  celebrations  the  Italians  have  ever  given  in  this 
city  was  held  at  the  Church  of  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes  on  May  19,  1908,  on  which 
day  the  pastor  of  the  Church  of  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes  celebrated  the  twenty-fifth 
anniversary  of  his  entrance  into  the  priesthood.  An  interesting  feature  of  the 
occasion  was  a  gift  to  Father  Karam  from  Pope  Pius  X  of  a  large  photograph 
on  which  the  Holy  Father  had  written  a  few  words  of  blessing  and  his  autograph. 

The  new  church  on  South  Main  Street  was  dedicated  on  Sunday,  February  14, 
1909.  with  a  solemn  high  mass,  the  Rev.  Michael  A.  Karam  being  the  celebrant, 

'  Vol.  1—9 


130  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

the  Right  Rev.  Monsignor  John  Synnott,  administrator  of  the  Diocese  of  Hart- 
ford, making  the  dedicatory  ceremony.    The  exercises  were  simple  and  impressive. 

The  church  has  a  frontage  of  70  feet  on  South  Main  Street  and  is  127  feet 
in  depth.  The  height  of  the  nave  or  body  of  the  church  is  55  feet,  and  the 
campanile  or  bell  tower  is  100  feet  in  height.  The  basement  was  first  completed 
and  roofed  over,  and  used  for  a  number  of  years  for  church  services,  and  was 
occupied  also  while  the  super-structure  was  being  built. 

The  general  plan  consists  of  a  high  nave,  lighted  by  clerestory  windows,  with 
two  aisles.  Each  aisle  terminates  in  a  semi-circular  apse  in  which  the  side 
altars  are  placed.  The  main  altar  is  also  placed  in  a  large  semi-circular  apse, 
surrounded  by  an  entablature  and  columns  in  which  are  arches  and  niches  for  the 
numerous  statues  with  which  the  interior  is  adorned. 

The  exterior  of  the  church  is  built  of  gray  pressed  brick  and  trimmed  with 
Indiana  limestone  and  terra  cotta.  The  main  roofs  are  of  slate.  The  campanile, 
which  was  afterwards  destroyed,  was  built  near  the  rear  after  the  manner  of 
Italian  churches. 

The  rectory  is  on  the  north  side,  adjoining  the  church,  and  in  the  rear  of 
this  is  the  school  and  convent,  both  incorporated  in  one  building. 

On  November  9,  1912,  the  present  pastor,  Rev.  Joseph  Valdambrini,  took 
charge  of  the  parish.  On  April  8,  1916,  part  of  the  roof,  the  interior  of  the 
tower  and  part  of  the  ceiling  were  destroyed  by  fire.  By  Christmas,  1916,  the 
church  had  not  alone  been  completely  repaired,  save  the  restoration  of  the  tower, 
but  ten  new  windows  had  been  placed  in  the  edifice. 

The  attendance  at  the  Sunday  masses  is  between  2,000  and  2,500.  The 
Sunday  School  has  an  attendance  of  between  700  and  800.  It  has  not  been 
found,  however,  feasible  to  continue  the  parochial  school. 

Father  Felix  Scoglini  is  the  assistant. 

st.   Margaret's  parish 

St.  Margaret's  Parish  was  organized  July  29,  1910,  Rev.  Edward  J.  Brennan, 
the  present  pastor,  having  been  named  to  take  charge.  The  church  was  built 
at  once  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  district.  In  the  following  year  the  rectory 
was  built.  Two  years  ago  the  school  was  opened,  with  eight  large  class  rooms 
and  on  the  top  floor  a  fine  hall,  seating  400  people.  Ten  sisters  were  brought 
from  the  Mother  House  at  Hartford,  and  are  in  charge  of  the  school.  At  present 
the  convent  on  Chestnut  Avenue  is  rented. 

A  large  plot  of  ground  has  been  purchased  at  Ludlow  and  Willow  streets, 
on  which  Father  Brennan  hopes  soon  to  be  able  to  erect  a  new  church  and  convent. 
The  census  of  the  parish  places  its  Catholic  population  at  2,100.  The  attendance 
at  the  four  masses  is  placed  at  t,6oo.  The  school  enrollment  is  between  200 
and  300. 

Rev.  Edward  J.  Brennan  was  chaplain  in  the  United  States  Navy  for  eight 
years  before  coming  to  Waterbury.  He  had  also  been  at  St.  John's,  New  Haven, 
and  St.  Francis  in  Torrington.  The  curate  now  is  Father  William  Kilcoyne,  who 
succeeded  Father  John  Quinn. 

BLESSED    SACRAMENT    PARISH 

The  Church  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament  was  organized  May  7,  191 1,  incorporat- 
ing the  following  month.  Its  first  pastor,  Rev.  Terence  D.  Smith,  who  had  been  in 
charge  of  a  parish  at  Watertown,  began  at  once  the  erection  of  the  church  and 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  \  ALLEY  131 

the  rectory  and  these  were  ready  for  dedication  the  following  year.  The  census 
places  the  Catholic  population  of  the  parish  at  850.  The  attendance  at  its  two 
masses  Sunday  is  450.  tts  Sunday  School  attendance  is  120.  Rev.  Edward  A. 
Flannery  succeeded  to  the  pastorate  May  3,  1917,  Father  Smith  going  to  Bridge- 
port to  found  a  new  parish.  Father  Flannery  came  from  I  lazardville,  where  he 
had  been  in  charge  of  the  parish  for  fifteen  years.  Father  John  II.  Landry 
is  curate. 

Father  Flannery  and  his  assistant  also  look  after  the  spiritual  needs  of  the 
Catholics  at  Brookside  and  at  the  Waterbury  Hospital. 

ST.    STANISLAUS    PARISH 

(  »n  July  7,  1012,  St.  Stanislaus  Church  was  organized,  its  incorporation  tak- 
ing place  in  February,  19 13.  This  is  the  Polish  parish  and  the  census  gives  it 
about  one  thousand  three  hundred  souls.  It  is  at  present  worshipping  in  the 
basement  of  what  will  be  its  church  structure  on  East  Farm  Street. 

It  has  an  attendance  of  200  at  masses,  and  105  in  its  Sunday  School.  Rev. 
Theodore  Zimmerman  has  been  in  charge  of  the  parish  for  the  past  three  years. 

st.   Michael's  parish 

For  some  years  there  had  been  a  growing  need  for  a  church  at  Waterville, 
and  in  1897  Father  Gleeson,  of  St.  Patrick's,  Waterbury,  erected  a  chapel  on 
Thomaston  Avenue,  as  a  part  of  his  parish.  This  later,  in  1902,  became  'St. 
Michael's  parish,  with  Father  Matthew  J.  Traynor  in  charge.  He  was  at  the 
head  of  the  parish  for  fifteen  vears,  being  succeeded  on  Mav  2,  1917,  by  Rev. 
David  R.  O'Donnell. 

The  census  places  the  Catholic  population  at  1,000.  The  attendance  at  the 
two  Sunday  masses  is  600. 

Father  Traynor  built  the  rectory  and  enlarged  the  church  during  his  pastor- 
ate. He  also  purchased  the  ground  on  Thomaston  Avenue,  just  above  the  pres- 
ent site,  and  on  this  it  is  proposed  to  erect  a  new  edifice  at  an  early  date. 

OTHER    CATHOLIC    ACTIVITIES 

The  Academy  of  Xotre  Dame,  which  is  in  charge  of  fourteen  sisters,  was 
established  here  forty-eight  years  ago,  and  supplies  not  alone  a  graded  and  high 
school  curriculum,  but  has  needlework,  art  and  commercial  courses  as  well.  The 
main  building  was  erected  in  1889.  The  institute  is  affiliated  with  the  Catholic 
University  at  Washington. 

Of  the  Catholic  societies,  the  largest  and  most  prominent  is  Sheridan  Council, 
No.  24,  Knights  of  Columbus,  instituted  May  2,  1885,  which  has  a  membership 
of  900. 

Sheridan  Council  meets  in  Knights  of  Columbus  Hall  at  East  Main  Street  and 
Phoenix  Avenue,  and  also  occupies  the  floor  below  the  meeting  hall  as  a  club.  This 
contains  its  beautiful  library,  has  a  lounging  room  and  dining  room,  and  is 
exclusively  for  the  use  of  the  members  of  Sheridan  Council. 

The  officers  of  this  council  are :  Grand  knight,  John  L.  Gafifney ;  deputy 
grand  knight,  Timothy  F.  P>arry ;  chancellor.  James  F.  Colwell ;  financial  secretary, 
Thomas  D.  Behan ;  recorder,  Wm.  F.  Guilfoile  :  acting  treasurer,  Carl  J.  Schultze  ; 
warden.  John  D.  Tierney. 


132  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Barcelona  Council,  No.  24,  Knights  of  Columbus,  has  a  membership  of  100. 
It  also  meets  in  Knights  of  Columbus  Hall. 

Its  principal  officers  are :  Grand  knight,  William  F.  Ryan ;  recording  secre- 
tary, Thomas  Dodd ;  financial  secretary,  Michael  F.  Conlan ;  treasurer,  Walter  E. 
Monagan. 

The  Catholic  Benevolent  Legion,  of  which  John  McElligott  is  president  and 
Capt.  P.  F.  Bannon  is  secretary,  has  a  membership  of  about  fifty. 

The  Catholic  Women's  Benevolent  Legion  was  founded  ten  years  ago.  Its 
first  president  was  Miss  A.  J.  Corden.  Miss  Katherine  E.  Conway  is  its  presi- 
dent now,  Miss  Elizabeth  Guilfoile  is  its  secretary,  and  Miss  Jennie  Bergen  is 
its  treasurer. 

THE    HOLY   NAME   SOCIETIES 

In  each  of  the  Catholic  parishes  of  Waterbury  there  is  organized  a  subordinate 
branch  of  the  Holy  Name  Society.  Several  of  these  branches  are  in  a  very  flour- 
ishing condition  and  are  an  important  factor  in  the  life  and  work  of  the  parish. 
The  membership  is  restricted  to  men,  and  the  roster  of  the  society  in  each  parish 
contains  the  names  of  the  most  representative  and  loyal  members  of  the  parish. 
In  many  parishes  junior  Holy  Name  societies  have  been  organized,  for  the  pur- 
pose and  with  the  result  of  bringing  together  maturing  boys  under  noble  influences 
and  guiding  them  safely  through  the  dangers  that  beset  their  paths  during  the 
interim  between  completed  school  days  and  early  manhood. 

Within  the  past  decade  notable  advancement  has  been  made  by  the  Holy 
Name  societies  of  Waterbury.  A  Holy  Name  Athletic  League  has  been  formed 
to  furnish  healthful  recreation  to  the  younger  men,  social  entertainments  under 
Christian  influences  are  held  at  the  parish  halls  during  the  winter  time,  and 
frequent  addresses  made  by  the  city's  ablest  men  on  topics  of  local  and  national 
interest  provide  educational  entertainment  at  the  society  meetings. 

Perhaps  the  most  notable  celebration  of  a  civic-religious  nature,  in  which 
the  citizens  of  Waterbury  ever  took  part,  was  held  in  Waterbury,  June  10,  1913, 
the  occasion  of  the  State  Meeting  of  the  Holy  Name  Societies  of  Connecticut. 
On  that  day  the  entire  membership  of  the  local  branches  of  the  society,  together 
with  delegations,  in  many  instances  comprising  entire  societies,  from  almost 
every  city  and  town  in  Connecticut,  marched  in  parade  through  the  principal 
streets  of  the  city,  and  then  assembled  in  the  spacious  playgrounds  of  Saint 
Mary's  Parochial  School,  on  East  Main  Street.  There  they  listened  to  patriotic 
and  religious  orations  by  Rev.  Luke  Fitzsimons,  who  acted  as  master  of  cere- 
monies, Bishop  John  Joseph  Nilan  of  the  Hartford  diocese,  and  Lieutenant  Gov- 
ernor Lyman  T.  Tingier  of  the  State  of  Connecticut.  There  also  Bishop  Nilan 
officiated  at  the  benediction  of  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament,  with  Father  Fitz- 
simons acting  as  his  assistant. 

To  Rev.  Martin  Keating,  then  a  young  curate  at  the  Immaculate  Conception 
Church,  now  a  chaplain  in  the  United  States  Army,  is  due  in  a  very  lar^e  meas- 
ure the  magnificence  of  this  tribute  of  loyalty  to  God  and  country.  His  inde- 
fatigable zeal  and  untiring  perseverance  planned  and  carried  to  fruition  the 
preparations  of  that  day. 

VERY   REV.    MONSIGNOR   WILLIAM    J.   SLOCUM 

On  October  22,  1908,  there  passed  away  one  of  Waterbury's  greatest  prelates, 
Very  Rev.  Monsignor  Wm.  J.  Slocum,  head  of  the  parish  of  the  Immaculate 
Conception. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY      133 

Monsignor  Slocum  was  born  on  February  6,  1851,  in  Winsted,  the  son  of 
Michael  and  Jane  McCormick  Slocum,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Ireland, 
and  had  adopted  this  as  their  country.  He  was  the  last  to  die  of  a  family  of  six 
children — John,  Thomas,  Michael  and  Frank  Slocum,  and  one  sister,  Mrs.  James 
J,  Fruin  of  Waterbury,  having  passed  away. 

After  completing  his  primary  education  in  the  public  and  parochial  schools 
of  Winsted,  he  was  sent  to  St.  Bonaventure's  College  and  Seminary  at  Allegany, 
N.  Y.  There  he  was  conspicuous  among  his  fellow  students  and  held  a  high 
rank  in  his  class  throughout  his  course.  On  June  22,  1876,  he  received  the  sacra- 
ment of  Holy  Orders  at  the  hands  of  the  Rt.  Rev.  Stephen  V.  Ryan,  then  bishop 
of  Buffalo. 

St.  Peter's,  Hartford,  was  the  first  parish  which  saw  the  young  priest's  labors. 
The  Rev.  Lawrence  Walsh,  who  later  became  rector  of  the  Church  of  the  Immacu- 
late Conception  in  this  city,  was  then  the  pastor  of  St.  Peter's.  Father  Slocum 
was  not  long  in  winning  a  firm  place  in  the  affections  of  the  parishioners  and  his 
faithfulness  at  St.  Peter's  was  rewarded  by  his  appointment  as  curate  at  St. 
Patrick's  parish  in  New  Haven.  This  was  then,  even  more  than  now,  one  of  the 
most  important  parishes  in  the  diocese,  and  in  a  section,  which  even  in  those  days, 
had  assumed  a  cosmopolitan  character.  Father  Slocum  proved  a  very  useful  and 
helpful  influence.  He  was  under  the  Very  Rev.  James  Lynch,  then  vicar-general 
of  the  diocese,  as  well  as  pastor  of  St.  Patrick's,  and  had  a  large  part  of  the 
city  to  look  after.  During  that  period  he  was  the  only  priest  in  New  Haven,  for 
some  time,  who  heard  the  confessions  of  the  Italian  residents.  They  had  no 
church  of  their  own  at  that  time  and  Father  Slocum  was  their  chaplain  during 
the  greater  part  of  his  time  in  New  Haven. 

The  Rev.  Jeremiah  Fitzpatrick  succeeded  Father  Lynch  in  the  pastorate 
while  Father  Slocum  was  still  at  St.  Patrick's  in  New  Haven,  and,  owing  to  the 
pastor's  illness,  the  young  curate  was  called  upon  to  take  up  much  of  the 
executive  work.  From  there  he  was  assigned  to  St.  Patrick's  in  Hartford,  under 
the  Rt.  Rev.  Bishop  McMahon,  then  the  head  of  the  diocese  of  Hartford.  His 
first  appointment  as  pastor  was  made  on  May  1,  1883,  when  he  took  charge  of 
the  parish  at  Norwalk.  There  he  displayed  splendid  executive  ability  and  the 
parish  made  rapid  strides  spiritually  and  materially.  He  was  made  permanent 
rector  there  in  1886. 

Twelve  years  his  life  was  given  to  his  people  and  his  parish  in  Norwalk,  and 
with  such  splendid  results  that  Catholics  and  non-Catholics  were  loath  to  have 
him  relinquish  his  place  there  to  come  to  Waterbury.  It  required  the  earnest 
solicitation  of  the  new  head  of  the  diocese,  the  late  Rt.  Rev.  Bishop  Tierney,  to 
win  his  consent  to  the  change.  He  succeeded  the  Very  Rev.  John  A.  Mulcahy 
here  as  permanent  rector  of  the  Church  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  on  Septem- 
ber n,  1895. 

It  was  noticeable  from  the  very  first  that  under  his  administration  the  parish 
and  Waterbury  were  to  progress  rapidly.  Within  a  year  he  had  reclaimed  a 
large  part  of  St.  Joseph's  cemetery,  the  old  cemetery,  and  three  years  after  he 
came  here  he  purchased  the  present  new  St.  Joseph's  Cemetery. 

The  year  of  1898  was  marked  as  one  of  the  most  complete  in  accomplish- 
ment in  his  entire  career,  for  not  only  did  he  secure  the  new  cemetery,  but  he 
purchased  the  site  and  building  of  the  present  St.  Thomas's  Church.  He  paid 
half  of  the  entire  debt  on  St.  Thomas's  parish  at  the  time  he  turned  the  property 
over  to  the  people  in  that  district. 

Two  years  later,  in  1900,  the  work  of  renovating  the  interior  of  the  Church 
of  the  Immaculate  Conception  was  undertaken  at  a  cost  of  $12,000. 


134      WATERBURY  AXD  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

In  1 90 1  the  parish  responded  to  another  call  and  the  Mulcahy  Memorial  Hall 
was  erected,  with  a  fine  library  and  gymnasium.  This  gave  the  Catholic  school 
children  an  institution  which  is  enjoyed  by  comparatively  few  primary  grammar 
schools  in  the  country.  Two  years  later  the  erection  of  St.  Mary's  Grammar 
School,  on  Cole  Street,  was  undertaken,  and  at  that  time  too  the  heating  plant 
for  all  the  parochial  buildings  on  Cole  street  was  erected.  St.  Mary's  Day 
Nursery,  supplying  a  long  felt  want,  was  purchased  and  opened  in  the  year  1904, 
and,  in  1906,  Father  Slocum  purchased  the  land  on  which  St.  Mary's  Hospital 
is  now  standing,  at  the  corner  of  Franklin  and  Union  streets. 

After  this  site  had  been  secured,  the  crowning  event  in  Father  Slocum's 
career  came  when  he  announced  that  his  his  entire  private  fortune  had  been 
turned  over  to  found  the  new  hospital,  the  establishment  of  which  had  been  one 
of  his  greatest  desires 

From  time  to  time  during  his  career  the  success  and  the  many  evidences  of 
remarkable  zeal  and  ability  of  the  priest  reached  the  fathers  of  the  church  in  the 
higher  offices  and  it  was  no  great  surprise  when  the  announcement  came  that 
Pope  Pius  X  had  elevated  him  to  the  rank  of  domestic  prelate,  "protonotaries  ad 
instar,"  and  given  him  the  title  of  very  reverend  and  monsignor. 

He  was  elevated  to  that  office  on  January  3,  1907,  at  one  of  the  most  impres- 
sive and  imposing  ceremonies  ever  held  in  this  state,  the  late  Bishop  Tierney 
performing  the  office  in  person. 

REV.    JEREMIAH    J.    CURTIN 

The  Rev.  Jeremiah  J.  Curtin.  who  came  to  Waterbury  in  1895  as  pastor  of 
St.  Francis  Xavier  Church,  and  whose  death  occurred  on  June  18,  1917,  was 
one  of  the  great  factors  in  the  spiritual  growth  of  the  community. 

Within  two  years  from  the  beginning  of  his  pastorate,  he  undertook  to  clean 
out  the  evil  influences  in  the  bounds  of  his  parish  as  far  as  that  was  possible. 
He  found  that  within  its  limits  the  saloons  were  flagrantly  violating  the  law  by 
selling  liquor  to  children.  When  the  owners  resented  his  interference,  he  filed 
remonstrances  against  fourteen  of  them,  engaged  an  attorney  to  plead  his  cause, 
and  had  every  license  permanently  revoked. 

This  was  but  the  beginning  of  his  battle  for  civic  righteousness.  He  then 
fought  for  the  Sunday  closing  of  saloons,  and  that  too  he  took  into  the  courts, 
winning  his  victory  only  after  a  long  legal  struggle,  in  which  appeals  were  taken 
to  the  higher  courts. 

Xot  satisfied  with  the  work  he  had  accomplished  in  his  own  parish,  he  extended 
his  battle  from  the  limits  of  his  parish  on  Baldwin  Street  to  Scovill  Bridge. 

Father  Curtin  was  not  an  advocate  of  total  abstinence,  but  he  was  against  the 
abuse  of  any  and  all  civic  privileges.  He  was  afraid  of  no  man  and  held  as  an 
enemy  all  those  who  were  lawless  and  backed  every  man  who  believed  in  law 
and  order  and  good  government. 

Father  Curtin  was  forever  fighting  for  civic  betterments.  There  was  hardly 
a  single  month  in  his  Waterbury  life  in  which  he  was  not  struggling  for  the  open- 
ing of  a  street,  the  building  of  new  sewers,  the  improvement  of  fire-fighting 
facilities,  both  within  and  without  his  parish.  He  was  a  lover  of  the  beautiful 
and  pleaded  for  sightly  lawns  and  gardens.  On  this  subject  he  wrote  and  even 
preached.  He  was  constantly  using  the  papers  for  the  advocacy  of  some  much- 
needed  civic  betterment,  and  was  never  afraid  to  express  his  opinions  over  his 
own  name. 

In  his  own  parish  he  started  societies  for  young  men.     He  encouraged  his 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK   VALLEY  135 

"lads"'  to  go  to  night  school,  to  acquire  a  foundation  for  sound  business  methods. 
In  a  word,  he  became  a  great  moral  power  in  the  community, — perhaps  one  of 
the  greatest  in  its  history. 

He  died  after  thirty-seven  years  of  labor  as  a  Catholic  clergyman  on  June 
[8,  i Mi 7.  at  the  rectory  on  Baldwin  Street. 

Father  Curtin  was  horn  in  New  Britain,  April  1,  1856.  He  was  educated  in 
St.  Mary's  Parochial  School  in  that  city,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1872. 
In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  entered  Holy  Cross  College  and  was  graduated 
in  1877.  lie  entered  the  Grand  Seminary  at  Montreal  in  the  same  year,  and 
was  ordained  by  the  Most  Rev.  MonsignOr  Fabre,  archbishop  of  Montreal,  on 
I  )ecember  18.  1880. 

His  first  appointment  in  this  diocese  was  as  assistant  to  Rev.  J.  T.  McMahon, 
pastor  of  St.  Mary's  Church  and  missions  at  East  Hartford.  On  November  25, 
[882,  he  was  appointed  assistant  to  Rev.  J.  J.  Furlong  of  St.  Bernard's  Church 
and  missions  of  Rockville.  He  was  appointed  pastor  of  St.  Francis  Xavier's 
Church  and  missions  in  Xew  Milford.  and  on  December  3,  1895,  ne  came  to  St. 
Francis  Xavier's  Church  of  Waterbury,  where  he  remained  until  his  death. 

Father  Curtin  was  a  man  of  superior  mental  ability  and  of  a  genial  and 
friendly  disposition.  At  Holy  Cross  College  he  was  a  brilliant  student  and  went 
through  the  curriculum  of  seven  years  in  six.  He  was  the  manager  of  the  first 
baseball  team  that  ever  represented  Holy  Cross  and  took  great  pride  in  follow- 
ing up  the  success  of  the  college  in  athletics.  He  received  the  degree  of  B.  A. 
at  Holy  Cross  College,  and  the  degree  of  S.  T.  B.  at  the  Grand  Seminary  in 
Montreal. 

He  said  his  first  mass  in  Waterbury  in  the  Auditorium,  in  which  place  the 
members  of  bis  congregation  first  gathered.  He  then  built  the  church  on  Wash- 
ington Street,  which  is  now  known  as  Xaverien  Hall.  In  1905,  he  built  the 
present  church  of  St.  Francis  Xavier.  Under  his  care  the  parish  grew  from  a 
mere  handful  of  people  to  the  present  size,  which  has  a  congregation  of  over 
three  thousand  people. 

m'givney  day 

On  Tune  8,  1901,  the  Knights  of  Columbus  of  Greater  New  York  made  a 
pilgrimage  to  Waterbury  to  celebrate  high  mass  in  honor  of  the  late  Father 
Michael  J.  McGivney,  founder  of  the  order.  Father  William  J.  Slocum  delivered 
the  sermon  of  the  day.  At  its  close  the  pilgrims  conducted  a  service  at  the  grave 
of  Father  McGivney  in  St.  Joseph's  Cemetery. 

The  order  was  founded  at  New  Haven  in  1882,  while  Father  McGivney.  who 
wns  a  native  of  Waterbury.  was  stationed  in  that  city.  It  was  the  solution  of 
the  problem  of  establishing  a  national  beneficiary  organization  which  would  work 
in  conformitv  with  the  levels  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  It  was  on  April  27, 
[885,  when  the  total  membership  of  the  order  was  still  less  than  a  thousand 
that  Waterbury  Catholics  organized  Sheridan  Council  largely  as  a  tribute  to  the 
founder,  who  was  one  of  the  notable  priests  produced  by  the  Immaculate  Con- 
ception Parish. 

A  feature  of  the  pilgrimage  was  the  presence  of  two  members  of  the  Mc- 
I  rivney  family.  Rev.  John  J.  and  Rev.  P.  J.  McGivney.  both  of  whom  spoke  on 
the  order  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus. 


CHAPTER  X 
CIVIC  ARCHITECTURE  OF  A  QUARTER  CENTURY 

BUCKINGHAM  BUILDING,  UNION  DEPOT,  CITY  HALL,  CHASE  OFFICE  BUILDING  AND 
WATERBURY  CLUB LINCOLN  BUILDING  PLANNED  BY  FAMOUS  NEW  YORK  ARCHI- 
TECTS  COURTHOUSE  PLANNED  BY   WILFRED  E.   GRIGGS,  ONE  OF  MOST  BEAUTIFUL 

STRUCTURES  IN  NEW  ENGLAND FINE  BUSINESS  BLOCKS  AND  RESIDENCES,  SUPERB 

WORK  OF  LOCAL  ARCHITECTS — THE  VARIOUS  ARCHITECTURAL  PERIODS  AND  BUILD- 
INGS THAT  ILLUSTRATE  THEM — WATERBURY's  HOUSING  PROBLEM. 

Waterbury  is  ideally  located  for  architectural  effects.  Its  wooded  hills,  rising 
gradually  from  a  wide  basin,  have  given  its  home  builders  and  designers  oppor- 
tunities of  which  they  were  not  slow  to  take  advantage.  The  effort  in  the  last 
quarter  century  to  make  it  a  city  beautiful  has  been  thoroughly  co-operative  in 
the  business  section  as  well.  There  has  never  been  any  serious  opposition  to 
the  widening  of  important  thoroughfares,  such  as  Bank  and  Grand  streets,  nor 
to  the  erection  of  city  buildings  of  which  its  people  may  well  be  proud.  No 
finer  architectural  effects  can  be  found  in  New  England  than  the  present  City 
Hall  or  the  Waterbury  Hospital,  designed  on  classical  lines  by  Robert  Bacon 
of  New  York,  which  in  its  Parthenon-like  facade  brings  out  ideally  the  beauties 
of  the  strikingly  effective  location. 

Not  alone  have  its  own  architects  risen  to  the  occasion,  but  they  have  been 
ably  assisted  by  the  best  talent  in  America. 

McKim,  Mead  &  White,  the  architects  of  some  of  the  greatest  buildings  in 
America,  planned  the  Union  Station  of  the  New  Haven  Railroad,  a  fine  Italian 
Renaissance  effect  with  a  tower  following  the  famous  Campanile  in  Siena,  Italy. 
The  Buckingham  Block,  on  Grand  and  Bank  streets,  was  also  designed  by  this 
famous  firm. 

Of  outside  work,  either  finished  or  under  way,  the  buildings  designed  by 
Cass  Gilbert  of  New  York  will  add  most  to  the  architectural  beauty  of  Water- 
bury. The  first  of  these  is,  of  course,  the  new  City  Hall  on  Grand  Street,  a 
structure  planned  along  Colonial  lines.  The  others  which  are  now  under  way  are 
the  Chase  office  building  at  Grand  and  Leavenworth  streets,  and  the  new 
Waterbury  Club.  In  both  of  these  structures,  as  with  the  City  Hall,  Mr.  Gilbert 
is  giving  Waterbury  buildings  that  will  class  with  the  finest  in  America.  In  the 
Chase  office  building,  he  has  conformed  to  a  great  extent  to  the  general  lines  of 
the  City  Hall  Building  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street.  Its  effect  is  to  be 
colonial.  It  will  be  four  stories,  with  a  243-foot  frontage  on  Grand  Street  and 
98  on  Church  and  Leavenworth  streets.  The  exterior  will  be  of  limestone  and 
granite  construction,  with  high  fluted  columns.  The  interior  will  be  largely 
marble  trim.    The  Waterbury  Club  Building  is  also  Colonial  in  style. 

The  Lincoln  Building,  on  Field  Street  opposite  the  City  Hall,  constructed  for 
the  United  Charities  and  recently  occupied,  was  also  planned  by  Cass  Gilbert. 

The  American  Brass  Company's  massive  office  building,  completed  in  1913, 
was  built  from  plans  made  by  Trowbridge  &  Livingston  of  New  York.     It  is  of 

136 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  137 

brick  and  steel  construction,  fireproof  throughout,  and  its  long,  high  corridor  with 
its  domed  center  is  an  exceedingly  artistic  effect.  The  building  is  constructed  on 
a  partial  crescent. 

But  the  list  of  outside  architects  who  have  had  a  hand  in  the  planning  of 
business  blocks,  churches,  schools  and  houses  in  Waterbury  is  a  long  one,  and 
will  appear  as  the  article  progresses.  To  local  architects  the  greatest  credit  is 
due,  for  most  of  its  structures  are  home  products  in  which  its  citizens  take  a 
commendable  pride. 

The  work  of  Wilfred  E.  Griggs  and  of  Theodore  B.  Peck  is  especially  notable. 
These  may  be  termed  the  deans  of  the  profession  in  Waterbury,  and  their  work 
adorns  not  alone  the  business  and  residence  sections  of  this  city,  but  is  in  evidence 
in  the  suburban  districts  in  the  form  of  attractive  country  homes. 

Perhaps  the  most  pretentious  single  building  is  the  courthouse  on  Kendrick 
Street,  from  the  plans  of  Wilfred  E.  Griggs,,  and  completed  in  1905.  Its 
general  style  is  renaissance,  and  its  pillars  give  it  a  majestic  appearance.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  it  needs  a  wider  street  to  bring  out  its  many  architectural  beauties. 
In  the  same  year  he  planned  the  five-story  Elton  Hotel,  which  replaced  the  old 
Scovill  home,  one  of  the  best  illustrations  of  Colonial  architecture  in  the  city. 
It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  building  was  not  moved  to  another  location. 

The  largest  and  finest  equipped  office  structure  in  Waterbury  is  the  Lilley 
Building,  eight  stories  high.  This  was  completed  July  1,  191 2,  and  is  of  fireproof 
construction,  with  reinforced  concrete  floors  and  partitions  of  gypsum  blocks. 
Its  cost  was  approximately  a  quarter  of  a  million.  It  contains  2  large  stores 
and  150  offices,  and  with  its  double  electric  elevator  service  is  the  most  modern 
of  the  buildings  in  its  class  in  WTaterbury.  This  also  is  from  the  plans  of  Mr. 
Griggs. 

The  Masonic  Temple,  completed  in  191 1,  the  four-story  Boys'  Club  on  Cottage 
Place,  built  in  1901,  the  Odd  Fellows'  Hall,  dedicated  in  1895,  and  built  on 
Venetian  Gothic  lines,  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  opened  in  1S92, 
which  was  a  beautiful  addition  to  the  architecture  of  the  Green,  and  the 
Mattatuck  Historical  Society  Museum  are  among  the  public  buildings  of  which 
plans  were  furnished  by  Mr.  Griggs. 

To  Theodore  B.  Peck  also  belongs  the  credit  of  much  of  the  best  architectural 
work  in  Waterbury.  Apothecaries'  Hall,  which  was  opened  in  1894,  is  still  one 
of  the  finest  of  the  city's  business  blocks.  It  is  ideally  located,  with  its  frontage 
at  the  junction  of  South  Main  and  Bank  streets,  the  wide  open  space  bringing 
out  all  the  beauties  of  Mr.  Peck's  plans.  Though  built  in  the  earlier  period  of 
this  quarter  century,  it  is  as  impressive  as  any  of  those  of  more  recent  construction. 

The  Waterbury  American  Building  on  Grand  Street,  built  in  the  same 
period,  is  from  the  plans  of  Mr.  Peck.  It  was  a  matter  of  congratulation  that  it 
went  through  the  conflagration  of  1902  with  but  comparatively  little  damage. 
Perhaps  the  finest  examples  of  the  work  of  Mr.  Peck  in  Waterbury  are  the 
Waterbury  Industrial  School  Building  on  Central  Avenue  and  the  Citizens  Na- 
tional Bank  Building  facing  on  the  Green. 

Another  of  his  effective  designs  is  that  made  for  the  Schlegel  home  on  Clowes 
Terrace,  which  has  just  been  completed.  This  is  one  of  the  best  illustrations  of 
Romanesque  architecture  in  New  England.  To  this  should  also  be  added  the 
beautiful  Colonial  home  built  by  Mr.  Peck  for  C.  E.  Spencer,  Jr.,  on  the  Middle- 
bury  Road,  and  recently  occupied. 

Joseph  A.  Jackson,  now  of  New  York,  but  for  years  a  Waterbury  architect, 
has  done  much  fine  work  here,  particularly  in  the  matter  of  church  and  school 
construction.     From  his  plans  are  the  convents  of  Notre  Dame  and  St.  Mary, 


138  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

St.  Patrick's  Hall,  the  Crosby  High  School  and  the  Bank  and  Clay  street  schools. 
He  drew  the  plans  for  some  of  the  finest  blocks  built  in  the  city  since  the  fire, 
including  the  Jones-Morgan  Building,  opened  in  1903,  the  Republican  Block  on 
Grand  Street,  built  in  1907,  the  Carroll  at  Willow  and  Pine  streets,  one  of  Water- 
bury 's  finest  apartment  houses,  the  Aldrich  at  287-291  North  Main  Street,  the 
judd  Block,  158-160  Grand  Street,  built  since  the  fire,  the  Manufacturers'  National 
Bank  Building,  built  in  1896,  and  the  Moriarty  Building,  161-167  East  Main  Street, 
built  after  the  fire. 

The  work  of  E.  E.  Benedict,  of  Freney  &  Jackson,  of  Lewis  A.  Walsh,  of 
Joseph  T.  Smith,  of  C.  Jerome  Bailey,  is  everywhere  in  evidence,  and  has  added 
much  to  the  architectural  beauty  of  the  city. 

The  last  twenty-five  years  have  witnessed  what  may  be  termed  the  trans- 
formation of  the  business  section  of  the  city.  Growth  had  much  to  do  with  this, 
for  with  added  population  came  the  need  of  many  extensions.  But  the  fire  of  1902 
was  by  no  means  an  insignificant  factor  in  the  architectural  regeneration  of  the  city. 
To  this  calamity  Wraterbury  owes  the  uniformity  which  marks  its  blocks  in  the 
sections  which  were  rebuilt.  Aside  from  those  already  mentioned,  there  were 
built  in  1903  such  blocks  as  the  Commercial  Building,  110-112  Bank  Street,  built 
for  W.  LI.  Camp,  and  planned  by  Griggs  ;  the  Cowell-Guilfoile  Building,  186-196 
( J  rand  Street,  from  plans  by  Joseph  T.  Smith  ;  the  Holmes  Building,  132-136  Grand 
Street,  occupied  in  1904;  the  Meigs  Building,  105-109  Bank  Street;  the  Mullings 
and  Piatt  buildings,  83-103  Bank  Street,  built  from  the  plans  of  a  Boston  firm. 

One  of  the  latest  additions  to  the  business  blocks  of  Waterbury  is  the  Democrat 
I'.uilding  at  Grand  and  Canal  streets,  planned  by  Joseph  T.  Smith,  which  was  com- 
pleted in  1916.  The  Standard  Building,  14-20  North  Main  Street,  which  was  built 
from  the  plans  by  Griggs  in  1912,  is  now  to  be  completely  remodeled  for  occupancy 
next  year  by  the  Mohican  Company. 

The  Telephone  Building,  at  18  Leavenworth  Street,  was  occupied  in  1914  and 
is  from  plans  made  by  the  company  in  its  New  York  office. 

One  of  the  most  artistic  of  the  business  homes  of  Waterbury  is  the  building 
at  the  corner  of  West  Main  and  Leavenworth  streets,  "built  for  the  Colonial  Trust 
Company  from  plans  by  Davis  &  Brooks  of  Hartford.  It  is  not  a  large  structure, 
but  thoroughly  artistic  and  makes  a  valuable  addition  to  the  architecture  at  the 
Center. 

The  Barlow,  59-67  Grand  Street,  built  from  plans  by  Griggs,  was  put  up  in 
1909.  The  Boston  Furniture  Company  Block,  at  South  Main  and  Scovill  streets,  is 
from  plans  by  Theodore  B.  Peck  and  is  one  of  the  best  of  the  newer  business  build- 
ings of  Waterbury.  The  Capitol  Building,  30-34  North  Main  Street,  from  plans 
by  C.  Jerome  Bailey,  is  an  effective  piece  of  business  architecture.  The  Hamp- 
son  Building.  91-99  West  Main  Street,  which  is  from  plans  by  Griggs,  and  one 
of  the  largest  business  blocks  in  the  city,  was  built  in  19 10.  The  Truman  S.  Lewis 
block,  25-31  West  Main  Street,  from  the  plans  of  Mr.  Griggs,  was  erected  in  1903. 
Russell's  Block,  149-55  Bar>k  Street,  from  the  plans  of  Joseph  T.  Smith,  is  also 
(if  comparatively  recent  construction. 

Aside  from  the  Elton  Hotel,  Waterbury  still  lacks  pretentious  hotel  structures. 
Both  the  Kingsbury  and  Hodson  buildings  are  quite  good  looking  edifices,  but  have 
been  built  upon  older  structures,  a  remodeling  which  can  never  bring  out  the  best 
in  architecture. 

Waterbury  is  fortunate  in  having  some  of  the  finest  apartment  buildings  in  New 
England.  The  Carroll  and  the  Carrolton  on  Willow  Street,  from  plans  by  Joseph 
T.  Jackson,  were  put  up  in  1906  and  1907,  and  are  model  structures  of  this  class. 
So  is  The  Buckingham,  292  West  Main  Street,  which  is  from  plans  by  Griggs. 


THE   DEMOCRAT  AXI)  THE   BARLOW   BUILDINGS,  WATKRIU'RY 


PART  OF  "BANKERS'   ROW,"  SHOWING   THE    BOLMES    BUILDING,   WATERBUR1 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  139 

Among"  other  apartment  buildings  that  are  worthy  of  notice  and  that  have  added 
to  the  architectural  beauty  of  Waterbury  may  be  mentioned  the  Aldrich,  287-291 
North  Main  Street,  from  plans  by  Joseph  T.  Jackson  ;  the  Albemarle,  from  plans 
by  Griggs;  Bergin's  Block,  246-256  East  Main  Street,  and  the  l'.olan,  50-52  Mitchell 
Avenue,  both  from  plans  by  Freney  &  Jackson;  the  Frederick,  70-80  Easl  Main 
Street,  from  plans  by  Theodore  B.  Peck;  the  I  lendrieken.  317  North  Main  Street, 
from  plans  by  Joseph  T.  Smith;  the  Hitchcock,  [64  West  Main  Street,  and  the 
Northrop.  [82  West  Main  Street,  from  plans  by  Griggs;  the  Victoria,  278  East 
Main  Street ;  the  Royal.  41  ( )ooke  Street,  and  the  Westerly,  [33  West  Main  Street. 

It  is  quite  certain  now  that  the  next  year  will  see  the  completion  of  the  new 
Y.  M.  C  A.  Building  on  the  site  of  the  old  Baptist  Church  on  Grand  Street.  This 
will  make  that  thoroughfare  a  veritable  civic  center  for  Waterbury. 

There  are  two  public  buildings, — the  Bronson  Library  and  the  Postoffice,-^- 
which  come  into  this  quarter  century  period.  The  Bronson  Library  was  com- 
pleted, in  August,  [894,  and  is  from  plans  by  Cady,  Berg  &  See,  of  New  York. 
It  is  of  brick,  terra  cotta  and  tile  construction,  and  in  style  Italian  Renaissance. 
Its  most  beautiful  feature  is  unquestionably  its  great,  overhanging  main  cornice 
The  Postoffice  is  modeled  on  the  artistic  plan  followed  by  the  Government  in  the 
construction  of  these  buildings  everywhere.  It  was  completed  and  occupied  in 
1 1 .04. 

Roughly  estimated,  there  have  been  added  to  Waterbury  factories  in  the  past 
twenty-five  years  buildings  that  are  valued  conservatively  by  the  manufacturers 
themselves  at  about  fifty  million  dollars.  The  strong  tendency  here  in  the  past  few 
years  has  been  to  reinforced  concrete,  although  most  of  the  building  has  been  what 
may  be  termed  of  slow-burning  construction,  which  means  heavy  plank  floors, 
leaving  few  places  where  fire  can  catch.  Some  of  the  Chase,  the  American  Brass, 
and  the  newer  Scovill  buildings  are  of  reinforced  concrete. 

A  visit  to  the  factory  districts  shows  a  vast  change  in  the  matter  of  construc- 
tion in  a  decade.  The  older  buildings  are  largely  brick  ;  the  newer  ones  are  mostly 
steel  sash  and  glass.  The  Chase  Metal  Works,  the  Chase  Rolling  Mills  and  the 
Waterbury  Manufacturing  Co.,  which  comprise  the  Chase  interests,  have  expended 
several  million  dollars  Jn  improvements  during  the  past  few  years.  The  American 
I'.rass  Co.  has  erected  practically  all  of  its  Waterbury  buildings,  remodeling  only 
a  few  of  the  old  ones,  in  the  past  twelve  years. 

Perhaps  the  greatest  amount  of  construction  was  done  at  the  Scovill  works, 
and  the  additions  to  buildings  during  the  war  period  alone  have  amounted  to  sev- 
eral millions.    This  work  has  been  in  charge  of  Hugh  L.  Thompson,  civil  engineer. 

The  Waterbury  Farrel  Foundry  &  Machine  Co.  has  made  big  improvements 
and  is  building  some  model  factories  as  additions  to  its  equipment  now.  A  list  of 
those  companies  that  have  built  or  are  building  extensive  additions  will  read  almost 
like  a  list  of  the  factories  of  Waterbury.  Thus,  the  Bristol  Co.,  at  Platts  Mills, 
has  added  one  or  more  buildings  every  year  for  a  decade.  The  Waterbury  Bat- 
ten (  o.,  Blake  &  Johnson.  Steele  &  Johnson,  the  American  Mills  Co..  the  Amer- 
ican Pin  Co.,  the  Rowbottom  Machine  Co.,  the  Waterbury  Button  Co..  the  Water- 
bury Buckle  Co..  Smith  &  Griggs,  the  Pilling  Brass  Co..  Berbecker  &  Rowland 
Mfg.  Co.,  Waterville.  the  Manufacturers  Foundry  Co..  Plume  &  Atwood  Mfg. 
1  n..  are  among  those  who  have  built  extensively  along  modern  factory  lines  dur- 
ing the  past  few  years. 

In  church  architecture.  Waterbury  has  been  exceptionally  fortunate.  Its  most 
recent  addition,  the  Baptist  Church,  which  is  from  plans  by  Architect  Cramer  of 
Xew  York,  is  classical  in  style,  and  entirely  different  from  the  Gothic  effect  which 
prevails  so  largely  in  the  construction  of  church  buildings.     St.   Anne's  and  St. 


140  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Patrick's  are  both  pure  Gothic.  The  Methodist  Church,  designed  by  George  Kel- 
ler of  Hartford,  is  severely  Gothic.  The  Italian  Church,  on  South  Main  Street, 
Our  Lady  of  Lourdes,  is  a  pure  Italian  Renaissance,  and  from  the  plans  of  Joseph 
A.  Jackson  of  New  York.  St.  John's  and  Trinity,  of  the  Episcopal  churches,  are 
pure  Gothic.  The  First  Church  Congregational  is  Victorian  Gothic,  and  the  Sec- 
ond Church  Congregational  is  Romanesque.  In  practically  all  the  other  churches 
Gothic  lines  have  been  followed. 

Waterbury  has  many  beautiful  homes  and  they  have  followed,  as  in  all  Amer- 
ican cities,  the  trend  of  each  particular  architectural  period.  Thus,  twenty-five 
years  ago,  the  Queen  Anne  style  prevailed.  Later,  came  the  Colonial ;  from  that 
the  cities  passed  into  a  period  of  what  is  known  as  half-timbered  construction; 
then  followed  stucco  houses,  and  now  home  building  is  going  back  to  Colonial 
style.  There  was  never  much  bungalow  construction  in  Waterbury,  for  this  pre- 
supposes level  land  and  large  acreages. 

It  is  a  difficult  matter  to  pick  out  the  beautiful  homes  that  have  gone  up  in 
the  last  twenty-five  years  as  illustrations  to  typify  periods,  for  while  only  one  or 
two  can  be  mentioned,  many  deserve  really  elaborate  notices.  This  is  true  on 
practically  all  the  good  residence  streets,  such  as  the  Boulevard,  Central  Avenue, 
Prospect  Street,  Holmes  Avenue,  Grove  Street,  Woodlawn  Terrace,  Hillside  Ave- 
nue, Euclid  Avenue,  Clowes  Terrace,  upper  Willow  Street,  Linden  Street.  There 
are  also  many  beautiful  homes  in  Bunker  Hill,  in  Overlook  and  at  Fairlawn  Manor. 

Of  the  Queen  Anne  style  cottages  that  were  built  in  the  first  period  of  this 
quarter-century,  the  most  typical  is  perhaps  the  Charles  Benedict  house,  which 
afterwards  became  the  Charles  Miller  House.  Another  is  the  home  now  occupied 
by  R.  F.  Griggs,  but  erected  originally  for  Mrs.  Mary  Mitchell.  Another  is  the 
home  of  the  late  Nelson  J.  Welton.  All  of  these  are  on  Hillside  Avenue,  and  in 
their  day  were  among  the  most  prominent  houses  in  Waterbury.  The  old  Doctor 
Rodman  home,  on  North  Main  Street,  should  be  included  in  this  list. 

Of  the  half-timber  construction,  the  best  illustration  is  the  Frisbie  home  at 
Grove  and  Prospect  streets,  planned  by  Davis  &  Brooks  of  Hartford.  The  home 
of  Hugh  L.  Thompson  on  Pine  Street,  planned  by  the  same  architects,  and  the 
Charles  Granniss  home  on  Pine  Street,  are  other  good  examples  of  this  style  of 
architecture. 

Of  stucco  houses  there  are  many  illustrations  and  some  of  very  recent  con- 
struction. The  Sperry  home,  built  by  Davis  &  Brooks  of  Hartford,  on  Bucking- 
ham Street,  and  the  Seeley  home,  on  Buckingham  and  Pine,  also  from  plans  by 
Davis  &  Brooks,  are  good  illustrations  of  this  style  of  architecture.  So  is  the 
Arthur  R.  Kimball  home,  on  Grove  Street,  and  that  of  Miss  Florentine  E.  Hay- 
den,  on  Pine  Street,  and  that  built  by  the  late  Mrs.  Edwin  Hayden  on  the  same 
street. 

The  Colonial  period  dates  forward  and  back.  In  fact,  some  of  the  best  homes 
that  are  now  going  up  are  of  this  style  of  architecture.  The  residence  being  built 
for  Miss  Martha  Driggs,  on  Prospect  Street,  from  plans  by  Murphy  &  Dana,  New 
York,  is  an  excellent  illustration  of  this  style.  The  Alfred  Hart  Colonial  Home, 
on  Buckingham  Street,  just  about  completed,  and  which  is  from  plans  by  Davis  & 
Brooks,  is  a  fine  illustration  of  the  modern  application  of  this  ancient  American 
style  of  architecture.  So  is  the  H.  L.  Wade  home,  on  Prospect  Street,  from  plans 
by  Griggs,  and  the  Gilman  C.  Hill  home,  on  the  corner  of  Hillside  Avenue  and 
Pine  Street,  and  that  of  John  Kellogg,  corner  of  Pine  and  Buckingham.  The 
Paul  D.  Hamilton  home,  on  Woodlawn  Terrace,  built  a  year  ago,  is  an  excellent 
example  of  the  Colonial  type  of  house  architecture.  It  was  planned  by  Wilfred 
E.  Griggs. 


THE    LEAVENWORTH   SPERRY   RESIDENCE,   WATERBURY 


RESIDENCE  OF  JOHN  II.  loss,  BILLSIDE  AVENUE,  WATERBURY 


WATERBURY   AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  141 

One  of  the  most  beautiful  residences  now  being  added  to  the  long  list  of 
Waterbury's  charming  homes  is  that  which  is  being  constructed  from  plans  by 
Taylor  &  Levy  of  New  York  for  Elton  YVayland,  on  Woodlawn  Terrace. 

This  is  a  brick  house,  built  in  the  English  Gothic  style.  Two  beautiful  homes 
designed  by  Johannes  of  New  York  are  being  built  on  Buckingham  Street  for 
John  H.  Goss.  These  two  homes  are  on  the  block  which  contains  the  beautiful 
Goss  residence,  built  about  ten  years  ago  in  the  Elizabethan  style. 

Another  line  home  which  is  now  going  up  on  Woodlawn  Terrace  is  that  planned 
by  Griggs  for  Truman  S.  Lewis.  This  is  in  Renaissance  style  and  easily  one  of 
the  most  attractive  homes  in  Waterbury. 

Rose  Hill  Cottage,  on  Prospect  Street,  the  Irving  H.  Chase  home,  is  still  one 
of  the  show  places  of  Waterbury.  It  was  erected  at  a  time  when  they  built  largely 
for  comfort  and  paid  little  attention  to  names.  It  would  therefore  be  difficult  to 
designate  it  as  illustrating  any  particular  style  of  architecture,  but  it  remains  one 
of  the  beautiful  homes  of  Waterbury. 

There  are  not  many  buildings  in  the  city  built  with  the  old  tile  roof  and 
shingles.  The  Frederick  S.  Chase  home,  on  Grove  Street,  next  to  the  Kimball 
home,  is  a  good  illustration  of  this,  and  shows  how  effectively  this  little-used  style 
of  architecture  responds  to  practical  use. 

The  home  of  Miss  Helen  Chase,  on  Grove  Street,  designed  by  Cram,  Goodyear 
and  Ferguson  of  New  York,  is  a  typical  English  country  house.  The  home  of 
W.  S.  R.  Wake,  at  the  upper  end  of  Willow  Street,  is  also  built  largely  on  this 
English  country  home  style,  and  with  its  large  acreage  is  one  of  the  real  residence 
attractions  of  the  city. 

The  C.  P.  Goss  home,  designed  by  Theodore  B.  Peck,  and  located  at  the  corner 
of  Hillside  Avenue  and  Pine,  is  another  of  these  old  country  home  structures 
which  look  as  cosy  from  the  outside  as  they  are  on  the  inside. 

waterbury's  housing  problem 

The  housing  problem  has  been  perhaps  the  most  important  economic  outcome 
of  the  war  period.  Soon  after  the  beginning  of  hostilities,  with  the  enormous 
munition  orders  and  the  vast  increases  in  Waterbury's  factory  equipments,  the 
tremendous  growth  and  expansion  of  the  city  soon  began  to  manifest  itself  in  the 
lack  of  suitable  and  adequate  housing  facilities,  especially  for  the  inflowing  foreign 
population.  The  supply  of  vacant  houses  and  living  quarters  was  quickly  ex- 
hausted, thereby  multiplying  the  difficulties  and  hardships  already  prevalent  in  the 
congested  districts. 

These  serious  conditions  immediately  aroused  several  of  the  leading  industrial 
organizations  to  activity,  which  resulted  in  the  formulation  of  comprehensive  plans 
and  means  for  relieving  the  condition  by  construction  of  workmen's  houses. 

The  first  meeting  of  those  interested  in  providing  a  more  adequate  supply  of 
suitable  houses  for  workingmen  in  Waterbury  was  held  on  Thursday  evening, 
February  10,  1916.  It  had  already  been  made  evident  that  the  pressing  need  just 
at  present  was  a  greatly  increased  supply  of  low-priced  houses  or  apartments  for 
Waterbury  workingmen.  Therefore,  it  was  decided  that  the  main  effort  of  the 
committee  should  be  exerted  towards  this  end. 

At  that  meeting,  at  the  suggestion  of  the  heads  of  some  of  the  largest  plants 
in  the  city.  John  Nolen,  of  Cambridge,  Mass.,  submitted  an  outline  as  a  proposed 
general  method  of  procedure  in  the  investigation. 

On  February  14,  1916,  Mayor  Scully  appointed  the  following  members  of  the 
Waterbury  housing  committee :    E.  S.  Hunt,  Eugene  Kerner,  R.  A.  Cairns,  F.  S. 


142  VVATERBURY  AXD  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Chase,  J.  P.  Elton,  John  H.  Goss.  Mr.  Hunt  was  made  chairman  and  Mr.  Kerner 
secretary.  At  Mr.  Nolen's  request,  this  committee  sent  out  a  questionaire,  to  which 
there  was  a  general  response.    This  gave  a  basis  of  existing  conditions. 

In  the  Nolen  report,  the  recommendation  was  made  that  the  main  effort  be  put 
upon  providing  single-family  dwellings  for  Class  A,  that  is,  for  the  family  whose 
weekly  income  exceeds  its  weekly  expenses  by  an  amount  sufficient  to  enable  it, 
within  a  reasonable  period,  to  become  the  owner  of  its  home.  This  family,  in 
Mr.  Nolen's  opinion,  was  best  provided  for  in  the  single  family  detached  or  the 
double  semi-detached  house,  but  the  building  operation  was  not  to  be  confined  to 
any  one  type  of  house.  In  fact,  because  of  the  difference  in  taste  and  personal 
preference,  all  the  approved  types  submitted  should  be  used.  But  some  single- 
family  houses  completely  detached,  on  lots  not  less  than  50  by  100,  should  be 
included  in  the  main.  Class  A  should  be  provided  for  in  outlying  sections  where 
the  laying  out  of  land  and  the  building  operation  could  be  sufficiently  large  to 
secure  the  advantages  of  wholesale  contracts,  efficient  management  and  careful 
planning  of  the  area  by  a  landscape  architect  along  advanced  garden  suburb  lines. 

He  also  recommended  that  the  best  methods  of  providing  for  Class  B,  that  is, 
for  the  family  that  has  acquired  title  to  a  building  lot,  but  has  not  yet  built  upon 
it,  is  to  do  everything  that  the  committee  can  do  to  remove  the  obstacles: 

(A)  That  suitable  house  plans  be  obtained  through  an  architectural  competition 
for  which  liberal  prizes  should  be  offered. 

(B)  That  money  be  made  more  readily  available  through  the  organization  of 
co-operative  banks  or  building  and  loan  associations. 

(C)  That  the  advantages  of  other  buildings  that  will  be  undertaken  for  Class  A 
should  be  shared  with  Class  B.  The  extent  of  this  building  would  in  itself  stimu- 
late interest  and  probably  enable  the  committee  to  give  the  lot  owner  a  building 
at  a  lower  contract  than  would  otherwise  be  possible.  The  houses  in  Class  B  will 
be  almost  entirely  in  partly  built-up  sections. 

He  further  recommended  that  provision  for  Class  C,  that  is,  for  the  family 
whose  weekly  expenses  practically  equal  its  weekly  income,  be  made  partly  by 
renting  the  other  house  in  the  double  house  unit  owned  by  a  family  in  Class  A, 
partly  by  building  for  rent  groups  of  houses  of  the  types  common  in  Philadelphia 
and  well-illustrated  by  the  Octavia  Hill  Association,  and  by  the  Improved  Hous- 
ing Co.  of  New  Haven,  and  by  the  cottage  flat  of  the  Toronto  Housing  Co.,  Ltd., 
and  partly  by  tenements  that  will  be  vacated  when  better  houses  become  avail- 
able. 

The  movement  languished  for  some  months,  but  later  the  heads  of  the  fac- 
tories personally  took  up  the  question  of  proper  housing,  and  important  develop- 
ments followed.  In  the  summer  of  1916,  two  such  developments  were  initiated 
and  ordered  under  construction  by  the  Scovill  Mfg.  Co.  and  the  American  Brass 
Company.  These  housing  developments  have  already  been  completed  and  are 
now  in  successful  operation  and  use,  being  occupied  by  families  who  are  well  satis- 
fied and  greatly  delighted  in  having  secured,  at  moderate  cost,  dwellings  which 
represent,  and  are  so  considered  by  experts,  the  best  effort  in  the  field  of  economic 
housing. 

Of  the  several  developments  carried  out  by  the  industries  above  referred  to, 
the  operation  conducted  by  the  Scovill  Mfg.  Co.,  which  consists  of  one-family 
brick  attached  houses,  represents  both  structurally  and  architecturally  an  ideal 
type  of  workmen's  dwellings. 

In  July,  1916,  the  W.  G.  Lynch  Realty  Co.  was  brought  here  for  consultation 
with  John  H.  Goss  of  the  Scovill  Manufacturing  Co.,  resulting  subsequently  in 
the  submission  of  plans  for  the  erection  of  fifty  dwellings  of  a  type  known  as  a 
six-room  one-family  house. 


THK   SCHLKfiKL   KKSIDKXCK.   WATKKBl'KY 


RESIDENI  E  OF  JOHN    BOOTH    BURRALL,   CHURCH    STREET,   WATERBURY 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  143 

In  August,  1916,  ground  was  broken  on  an  easily-accessible  tract  of  land  owned 
by  the  Scovill  Manufacturing  Co.  At  the  outset  a  group  of  five  houses  was  imme- 
diately constructed  and  sold  to  the  employees  of  the  company.  At  the  same  time 
efforts  were  directed  toward  the  immediate  completion  of  one 'of  these  buildings, 
so  as  to  exhibit  the  structure  as  a  sample  house,  with  the  result  that  applications 
for  these  houses  became  so  numerous  that  the  Scovill  Manufacturing  Co.  ordered 
the  erection  of  137  dwellings  in  all. 

Although  these  dwellings  were  erected  in  rows  covering  several  blocks,  a  most 
pleasing  effect  was  created  by  breaking  the  monotony  of  the  houses  through  vary- 
ing the  architecture  of  the  fronts  in  groups  of  from  two  to  four  dwellings.  In 
exterior  design  and  treatment,  these  groups  include  the  Dutch,  English,  Italian 
and  Colonial  types,  and  are  extremely  pleasing  in  appearance.  In  many  instances 
front  elevations  were  also  modified,  as  circumstances  and  economic  practice  per- 
mitted, by  altering  the  lines  of  the  masonry  and  porches,  careful  study  being  given 
likewise  to  creating  effective  color  schemes  in  order  to  emphasize  the  various 
styles  of  architecture  of  the  groups.  In  this  manner  the  severity  of  the  long, 
straight  lines  of  the  buildings  was  broken  and  made  to  harmonize  with  the  natural 
contour  of  the  land  and  grades  of  adjacent  streets. 

The  houses  in  the  Scovill  development  are  built  on  standard  size  street  blocks, 
having  a  width  of  200  feet  from  street  to  street.  This  space  is  sub-divided  and 
utilized  as  follows :  An  area  of  24  feet  in  depth  is  reserved  in  front  of  the  dwell- 
ings adjacent  to  the  street,  the  houses  measuring  32  feet  in  depth  with  a  20-foot 
courtyard  in  the  rear  and  a  10-foot  service  alley  for  commercial  purposes,  and  a 
1 4- foot  space  reserved  for  park  and  playground  purposes. 

The  houses  measure  16  feet  between  the  centers  of  party  walls  and  32  feet  in 
depth.  The  buildings  are  constructed  of  brick  masonry,  erected  on  substantial 
concrete  foundations  supported  by  massive  concrete  footings. 

The  area  in  front  of  the  dwellings  was  filled  in  for  the  purpose  of  creating  a 
terraced  space  in  front  of  each  house.  These  terraces  are,  in  every  instance,  neatly 
regulated  and  graded,  and  conform  to  the  grade  of  the  adjacent  streets. 

At  the  rear  of  each  house  a  door  opens  directly  into  the  basement  at  the  grade 
of  the  courtyard.  The  basements  contain  hot  air  furnaces,  hot  water  boiler,  gas 
hot  water  heater,  coal  bins,  and  stationary  wash  tubs,  and  also  ample  storage  space. 
The  basement  floors  are  cemented  and  the  concrete  walls  are  whitewashed.  In 
fact,  these  basements  are  so  light,  dry  and  airy  that  in  many  cases  they  are  being 
used  as  summer  kitchens.     The  cellar  can  also  be  entered  from  the  kitchen. 

The  kitchen  contains  many  facilities,  such  as  gas  stove  and  pantry,  sink  and 
hot  and  cold  water. 

The  house  contains  six  rooms  and  bath.  Every  room  opens  either  to  the  front 
or  to  the  rear  and  is  provided  with  large  windows.  All  rooms  have  direct  ventila- 
tion, the  bathroom  being  lighted  and  ventilated  by  large  overhead  ventilating  sky- 
lights. 

The  houses  are  electric  lighted  throughout,  with  indirect  lighting  fixtures  in 
dining  and  living  rooms.  Electric  light  wires  run  in  conduits  for  service  for  the 
entire  development,  running  through  the  foundations  along  the  rear  of  each  row 
inside  the  foundation  walls,  each  house  having  its  own  outlet.  Telephone  conduits 
run  in  the  same  manner  along  the  front  of  each  cellar,  with  separate  outlets  for 
each  house. 

The  first  fifty  houses  were  sold  at  $3,000  each.  The  next  twenty  were  sold  at 
$3,600.  The  material  for  the  first  fifty  houses  was  bought  when  the  contract  was 
placed,  but  when  the  contract  was  increased,  the  prices  of  material  had  advanced. 

Waterbury  is  an  expensive  city  to  build  in,  however,  because  of  its  hilly  con- 


144  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

tours  and  rocky  soil  with  water  pockets,  frequently  producing  swampy  conditions. 
Even  with  present  prices  of  materials,  this  house,  slightly  modified,  should  be  pro- 
duced for  approximately  two  thousand  five  hundred  dollars,  wherever  expensive 
blasting,  filling,  excavating  and  underdrainage  can  be  avoided. 

The  housing  development  undertaken  by  the  American  Brass  Co.  differs  ma- 
terially from  that  of  the  Scovill  development,  the  American  Brass  Co.'s  being  pat- 
terned after  a  high  class  residence  park,  and  on  a  scale  which  in  every  respect 
meets  with  the  requirements  of  their  employees. 

Briefly  described,  their  development  encompasses  a  tract  or  land,  about  twelve 
acres,  in  the  eastern  section  of  the  city,  two  miles  from  the  main  center.  Improve- 
ments were  undertaken  in  September,  1916,  which  consisted  at  first  of  regulating 
and  grading  the  street  system  after  a  carefully  designed  plan  which  preserved  the 
natural  features  of  the  property,  at  the  same  time  creating  a  residence  park  effect. 

The  main  entrance  to  the  property  is  at  East  Main  Street,  near  Mad  River, 
which  flows  through  a  part  of  the  property.  The  entire  property  contains  approx- 
imately eighty-five  building  sites,  the  average  dimensions  of  which  are  50  by  100 
feet. 

The  engineering  features  throughout  the  entire  property  are  carefully  designed 
and  substantially  executed.  The  tract  is  provided  with  all  improvements,  such  as 
gas,  city  water  supply,  sewerage,  electric  lighting  for  streets  and  houses,  well 
regulated  and  graded  streets,  park  and  playground  reservation,  surface  water 
drainage,  and  a  private  park  along  the  Mad  River,  for  the  use  of  the  residents. 
Sidewalks  and  well-kept  lawns  are  also  provided. 

The  first  group  of  buildings  erected  on  the  premises  consisted  of  twenty  frame 
dwellings,  so  spaced  as  to  provide  ample  area  in  front  of  each  dwelling  to  the 
street  lines. 

The  average  dwelling  is  about  25  by  23  feet,  and  contains  a  living  room,  dining 
room  and  kitchen  on  the  first  floor,  and  three  bedrooms  on  the  second  floor,  with 
bathroom. 

The  foundations  of  these  structures  are  of  first-class  concrete  masonry,  on 
footings  of  the  same  material.  The  cellar  floors  are  concreted  and  cemented,  and 
the  cellars  may  be  entered  from  the  inside  and  outside  of  the  dwellings. 

Immediately  prior  to  the  completion  of  the  first  group  of  twenty  dwellings,  the 
American  Brass  Company  decided  to  erect  eight  additional  structures,  but  of  a 
type  superior  in  some  respects  to  those  in  the  first  group. 

Of  the  thirty  dwellings  erected  by  the  company  under  this  housing  project, 
practically  all  have  been  sold,  and  in  some  instances,  selections  were  made  by  the 
employees  before  the  structures  were  placed  on  sale.  The  families  occupying 
these  houses  speak  very  highly  of  them,  and  are  well  satisfied  and  contented  with 
their  purchases. 

The  Chase  Metal  Works  have  thus  far  constructed  ten  model  houses,  much  on 
the  plan  of  the  Scovill  buildings,  and  this  is  to  be  greatly  increased  in  the  near 
future. 

The  Oakville  Company  has  also  now  started  with  a  group  of  ten  model  houses, 
which  is  to  be  greatly  extended  next  spring. 

The  Waterbury  Tool  Company,  under  the  personal  direction  of  its  president, 
Horace  G.  Hoadley,  has  erected  at  one  end  of  its  large  holdings  nine  model  houses, 
which  are  rented  to  employees.  A  street  has  been  made  and  five  of  these  homes 
are  on  one  side,  four  on  the  other.  Two  of  them  are  five-room  and  the  others 
six- room  cottages.  They  are  modern  in  every  respect  and  make  ideal  homes  at 
nominal  rents.  The  company  has  also  erected  two  double  houses,  in  the  Bunker 
Hill  section.     These  are  for  four  families.     The  twin  houses  have  twelve  and 


■ 


WEST   MAIN  STREET.  FRONT  OF  HODSOX'K,  WATERBURY 


WEST   .MAIN   STREET  ARCHITECTURE,   WATERBURY 

From  left  to  right:   Colonial  Trust  Company;   Sampson  and  Lilley  Buildings. 

Viewed  from  the  green. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY      145 

fourteen  rooms,  respectively,  making  two  six-room  dwellings  and  two  seven-room 
dwellings. 

Aside  from  the  splendid  work  done  by  the  larger  manufacturers  in  the  way  of 
improving  housing  conditions,  there  has  been  a  decided  growth  in  the  way  of  home 
construction  in  all  parts  of  the  city,  particularly  in  the  eastern  and  northwestern 
sections. 

In  1914  the  building  record  shows  permits  taken  out  totaling  in  value  $1,800,- 
000.  Of  these  55  were  for  frame  tenement  houses,  each  for  three  or  more  fami- 
lies. These  provided  for  over  twelve  hundred  people.  In  addition  there  were  70 
frame  and  8  brick  buildings  erected. 

In  191 5  the  total  permits  numbered  748,  and  the  value  of  buildings  erected 
increased  to  $2,600,350.  Sixty-four  were  buildings  erected  to  house  from  two 
to  six  families  each,  and  105  separate  dwellings  made  up  the  records  of  home 
building  for  that  year. 

In  1916  the  record  shows  1,106  permits,  value  $4,270,000.  Of  these  permits 
the  bulk  was  for  factory  construction.  The  number  of  frame  tenements  built  for 
three  or  more  families  was  91.  The  number  of  buildings  for  two  or  more  families 
was  8,  and  the  number  of  separate  frame  dwellings  was  217. 

For  1917  the  record  shows  the  same  proportionate  gain  and  up  to  November 
1st  the  permits  for  dwellings  and  tenements  issued  equaled  or  very  nearly  equaled 
the  total  of  1916. 


Vol.  I— 10 


CHAPTER  XI 
BANKING  AND  INSURANCE 

CAPITAL     AND     SURPLUS     OF     ALL     WATERBURY     BANKS — DEPOSITS — A     FIVE     YEAR 

RECORD   OF   CLEARINGS THE   YEAR    I916   A    BANNER    PERIOD    FOR   DEPOSITORS   IN 

SAVINGS   INSTITUTIONS— MONEY   LARGELY   INVESTED  IN    MORTGAGES   ON    WATER- 
BURY  REAL  ESTATE HISTORY  OF  ALL  THE  BANKS  AND  TRUST  COMPANIES LIST 

OF  OFFICIALS,    PAST  AND   PRESENT — RECENT   INSURANCE   HISTORY. 

In  1892  there  were  in  Waterbury  seven  banks  and  these,  including  the  savings 
institutions,  had  a  banking  capital  of  $1,350,000.  For  a  town  which  by  the  census 
of  1890  had  a  population  of  less  than  thirty  thousand,  this  was  a  splendid  show- 
ing, and  in  the  total  deposits  of  between  $6,000,000  and  $7,000,000  reflected  the 
growing  industrial  wealth  of  the  community. 

From  the  reports  issued  by  the  national  banks  and  trust  companies  of  Water- 
bury  in  the  summer  of  1917  and  by  the  savings  banks  on  October  1,  1916  (the 
date  of  the  last  annual  report  to  the  State  Banking  Department),  it  is  found  that 
the  total  deposits  in  the  banks  of  Waterbury  are  now  $44,300,748.50.  The  capital 
stock  and  surplus  of  the  national  banks  and  trust  companies,  aside  from  the 
exclusive  savings  banks,  is  approximately  three  million  dollars.  Of  this  $1,168,- 
451.20  represents  the  surplus. 

In  publishing  these  figures  it  is  perhaps  well  to  add  that  they  do  not  represent 
the  full  amount  of  what  may  be  termed  Waterbury  deposits.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  there  are  today  in  Waterbury  several  concerns  whose  business  is  so  extensive 
as  to  compel  the  additional  use  of  New  York  banks  for  purposes  of  deposit  and 
for  draft  facilities.  It  is  utterly  impossible  to  ascertain  even  approximately  the 
volume  of  this  business,  some  bankers  placing  it  at  10  per  cent  of  the  totals  for 
Waterbury  commercial  banks,  others  as  high  as  25  per  cent. 

The  capital  and  surplus  of  national  banks  and  trust  companies  are  as  follows : 

Capital  and  Surplus. 

Waterbury   National    Bank    $  900,000.00 

Colonial  Trust  Co 935,451.20 

Citizens  National  Bank 450.000-.00 

Manufacturers  National  Bank 300,000.00 

Merchants  Trust  Co 188,000.00 

Waterbury  Trust  Co -55»43T-35 

Total  $3,028,882.55 

Deposits  of  all  banks  of  Waterbury  at  dates  given  above  are  as  follows : 

DEPOSITS    OF    WATERBURY    BANKS,    I917 

(Savings  Banks,  October  i,  1916) 

Waterbury  Savings  Bank $10,176,870.80 

Dime  Savings  Bank 7.107,324.24 

146 


WATERBURY   AND  THE  NAUGATUCK   VALLEY  147 

Colonial  Trust  Co 7,033,538.09 

(  itizens  National  Bank 5,000,000.00 

Manufacturers  National  Bank : 4,060,445.09 

Waterbury  National  Bank  3,883,983.10 

Waterbury  Trust  Co 3,102,329.44 

West  Side  Savings  Bank 2,143,766.34 

Merchants  Trust  Co 1,792,491.40 

Total   $44,300,748.50 

The  savings  bank  deposits  on  October  1,  1917,  were:  Waterbury  Savings  Bank. 
$10,091,552.04;  Dime  Savings  Bank,  $7,636,444.20;  West  Side  Savings  Bank, 
$2,667,732.41. 

THE    WATERBURV    CLEARING    HOUSE 

It  is  now  five  years  since  the  Waterbury  Clearing  House  was  established  by 
the  commercial  banks.  Its  work  is  done  in  each  bank,  alternately  for  two  months. 
At  present  the  manager  of  the  Clearing  House  is  Lewris  S.  Reed,  vice  president  of 
{he  Manufacturers  National  Bank. 

The  table  of  clearings  which  follows  does  not  reflect  the  total  business  cleared 
monthly  by  the  banks  of  Waterbury,  for  there  is  still  much  of  the  business  done 
by  each  bank  by  the  old  self-clearing  method. 

The  Clearing  House  made  its  first  report  on  March  31,  19 12,  and  the  record 
by  months,  showing  comparative  figures,  up  to  March  1,  1917,  is  as  follows: 

1912-1913  1913-1914  1914-1915  1915-1916  [916-1917 

March    $  3,056,600  $  3,921,700  $  4,048,500  $  4,529,400  $  7,442,300 

April    3.976,500  4.487,400  4,781,300  5,065,900  8,305,200 

May   4.240,600  4,339,600  4,427,200  5,303,500  9,300,700 

June    4,103,500  4,387,300  4,907,400  6,145,700  9,148,800 

July    3.899,200  4.156,900  4,633,500  6,192,000  9,091,800 

August 34g<;,7oo  3,802,300  3,616,800  5,331,400  7,726,200 

September....  3,295,500  3,923,100  3,566,600  5.005,300  8.333,100 

October   4,144,900  4,721,300  4,358,200  6,675,900  9,550,600 

November  ....  4,156,800  3,986,700  3.953.300  <>. 099,700  9,950,100 

December    ....  3,766,000  4,273,700  4,565,500  7,336,800  10,013,700 

January   4,391,800  4,588,300  4,995,700  8,424,900  11,174,700 

February 3,650,800  3,843,000  4,134,400  6,805,800  8,807,600 

$46,181,900     $50,431,300     S51.988.400     $74,116,300  $108,844,800 

The  bankers  of  Waterbury,  largely  through  the  Clearing  House  Association, 
but  with  the  close  co-operation  of  the  savings  banks,  organized  the  work  of  selling 
Waterbury 's  quotas  for  both  the  first  and  second  Liberty  Loans  with  such  success 
that  in  both  instances  the  city  exceeded  its  quota. 

THE    SAVINGS    BANKS 

It  is  in  the  records  made  by  the  savings  banks  of  Waterbury  that  the  prosperity 
of  the  city  is  most  clearly  reflected.  The  year  [916  was  the  banner  period  m  the 
history  of  the  city,  and  the  figures  which  follow  are  little  short  of  phenomenal  in 
the  matter  of  growth.  The  year  1917  showed  a  continuing  increase,  both  in  the 
net  increase  of  depositors  and  in  the  amount  of  deposits,  hut  the  Liberty  Loans 


148 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 


had  their  effect  here,  as  well  as  elsewhere,  in  diverting  a  considerable  amount  of 
savings  into  that  patriotic  channel. 

The  following  table  compiled  from  the  state  report  of  date  October  I,  1916, 
are  illuminating  on  the  savings  bank  records  of  this  phenomenal  year.  To  make 
an  accurate  total  there  should  be  added  like  records  from  the  savings  department 
of  the  Manufacturers  National,  from  which,  as  it  is  under  federal  control,  no 
statement  of  purely  savings  deposits  is  available.  Its  savings  accounts  number 
about  seven  thousand. 

Number  of 

accounts  opened    Number  of 
October,  1915  accounts  closed    Net 

to  October,  1916    same  period     Gain 

Dime  Savings  Bank 5,276  2,990  2,286 

Waterbury  Savings  Bank 4,815  1,882  2,933 

West  Side  Savings  Bank 2,247  847  1,400 

Waterbury  Trust  Co.  (Savings  Dept.) 1,525  600  925 

Merchants  Trust  Co.  (Savings  Dept.) 745  296  449 

Amount 

deposited  Amount 

October,  191 5,  withdrawn  Net  increase 

to  October,  191 6    same  period  in  deposits 

Dime   Savings   Bank $2,711,781.78     $1,594,265.95  $1,117,515.83 

Waterbury  Savings  Bank 3,367,621.83  1,820,780.98  1,546,831.20 

West  Side  Savings  Bank 1,185,974.98          590,894.58  595,080.40 

Waterbury  Trust   (Savings) 947,705.25          488,097.69  459,607.56 

Merchants  Trust  (Savings)    622,152.81          235,748.23  386,404.23 

$8,835,236.65     $4,729,787.43     $4,105,449.22 

The  amounts  deposited  include  interest  credited  for  the  year. 

Number  of 

depositors 

having  less 

than  $1,000  Amount 

Dime  Savings  Bank   1 7,369  $2,838,494.43 

Waterbury    Savings   Bank. 12,983  3,148,146.15 

West  Side  Savings  Bank 4,659  1,010,995.23 

Waterbury  Trust    (Savings) 2,383  462,468.34 

Merchants  Trust  (Savings)    L937  298,550.90 

39,331  $7,758,655-05 

Number  of 

depositors 

having  $1,000 

to  $2,000  Amount 

Dime  Savings  Bank T-383  $1,794,477.90 

Waterbury  Savings  Bank !<795  2,406,714.28 

West  Side  Savings  Bank 412  544,233.12 

Waterbury  Trust  (Savings) 172  214,481.90 

Merchants  Trust  (Savings)    in  145,361.15 

3,873  $5,105,268.35 


WATERBURY  AXD  THE  NAUG  ATl'CK  VALLEY 


149 


Number  of 
depositors 
having  $2,000 
to  $10,000 

Dime  Savings  Bank   686 

Waterbury  Savings  Bank 927 

West  Side  Savings  Bank 180 

Waterbury  Trust  (Savings)    123 

Merchants  Trust  (Savings)    73 


1,989 

Number  of 

depositors 

having  over 

$10,000 

Dime  Savings  Bank 13 

Waterbury  Savings  Bank 28 

West  Side  Savings  4 

Waterbury  Trust   (Savings) 9 

Merchants  Trust  (Savings)    8 


Amount 
$2,291,686.31 
3,299,372.89 
543,101.52 
424,068.07 
297.227.56 

$6,955,448.35 


62 


Amount 
$    182,665.60 

375,595-93 
45,436.23 

110,522.41 

161,887.00 

$   876,107.17 


Including  the  savings  department  of  the  Manufacturers  National,  which  has 
about  seven  thousand  accounts  and  savings  deposits  of  approximately  one  million 
six  hundred  thousand  dollars,  there  were  in  Waterbury  on  October  1,  1916,  close 
to  fifty-two  thousand  two  hundred  and  eighty  distinct  savings  deposits,  amounting 
to  $22,295,478.  Of  these  over  twenty-two  hundred,  ranging  from  two  thousand 
dollars  to  ten  thousand  dollars,  and  approximately  forty-two  hundred,  ranging 
from  one  thousand  dollars  to  two  thousand  dollars. 

One  of  the  gratifying  evidences  of  the  helpfulness  of  the  savings  banks  in  the 
growth  of  the  community  lies  in  the  nature  of  the  investments  made.  All  of  them 
are  heavy  holders  of  mortgages  on  Waterbury  real  estate.  In  the  case  of  the 
Waterbury  Savings  Bank,  the  amount  loaned  on  Waterbury  real  estate  amounts  to 
nearly  four  million  dollars,  and  in  the  other  savings  institutions,  proportionately 
as  much.  The  West  Side  has  over  seventy-five  per  cent  of  its  deposits  loaned  on 
Waterbury  real  estate. 

The  Morris  Plan  Bank  of  W'aterbury,  with  capital  stock  of  $56,204  paid  in, 
was  organized  in  August,  1915,  and  opened  for  business  September  30,  1916. 
According  to  its  report  filed  with  the  state  October  1,  191 6,  it  had  loans  outstand- 
ing amounting  to  $85,415.  Its  officers  are  as  follows:  President,  Arthur  R. 
Kimball ;  vice  presidents,  John  H.  Goss,  John  P.  Elton ;  secretary  and  treasurer, 
Curt  T.  Illing;  directors,  Bennett  Bronson,  John  B.  Burrall,  Terrence  F.  Car- 
mody,  Irving  H.  Chase,  George  A.  Driggs,  Theodore  I.  Driggs,  John  R.  Hughes, 
John  P.  Kellogg,  Arthur  R.  Kimball,  Theodore  Lilley,  Fred  E.  Linder,  Frederick 
G.  Mason,  Charles  T.  McCarthy,  George  Rockwell,  Archer  J.  Smith,  Charles  E. 
Spencer,  Jr.,  Leavenworth  P.  Sperry,  Arthur  D.  Variell,  Harris  Whittemore, 
B.  P.  Merriman. 

This  is,  of  course,  purely  a  loan  bank,  organized  on  a  plan  extending  all  over 
the  country  with  a  view  to  keeping  those  who  are  in  need  of  immediate  funds  in 
small  amounts  from  coming  into  the  clutches  of  loan  sharks. 


150  WATERBURY  AXD  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

WATERBURY   SAVINGS    BANK 

The  Waterbury  Savings  Bank  is  the  oldest  savings  bank  in  Waterbury,  hav- 
ing been  founded  by  F.  J.  Kingsbury  in  1850.  It  has  now  grown  to  be  the  largest 
bank  in  Western  Connecticut. 

In  1892,  the  forty-second  year  of  its  existence,  its  deposits  amounted  to  a 
little  over  three  million  dollars.  Ten  years  later,  in  1902,  nearly  two  million  more 
had  been  added  to  the  deposits,  and  on  October  1,  191 2,  the  amount  on  deposit 
in  the  bank  was  $6,901,087.13,  making  another  $2,000,000  addition.  During  the 
period  of  four  years  and  four  months,  from  October  1,  1912,  to  February  1, 
1917,  the  bank  has  had  a  phenomenal  growth,  due  to  the  corresponding  growth 
of  the  city  in  size  and  wealth.  The  deposits  on  February  1,  1917,  were  $10,176,- 
870.80,  belonging  to  17,096  depositors.  Nearly  four  million  dollars  of  this  amount 
was  loaned  on  mortages  on  Waterbury  real  estate.  Thus  the  bank,  during  the 
long  period  of  its  existence,  has  not  only  kept  these  many  millions  of  deposits 
safely,  but  has  greatly  assisted  the  city  and  its  people  by  providing  large  sums 
of  money  towards  the  building  of  homes  and  business  buildings. 

F.  J.  Kingsbury,  the  founder  of  the  bank,  who  during  his  long  life,  occupied 
a  very  prominent  position  in  the  life  and  affairs  of  the  city,  was  secretary  and 
treasurer, — the  chief  executive  officer, — from  1850  to  1909,  when  he  became 
assistant  treasurer,  which  office  he  held  at  the  time  of  his  death  on  September  30, 
1910.  To  his  wise  management  was  due  in  large  measure  the  strength  of  this 
large  institution. 

On  January  1,  1906,  Edwin  S.  Hunt,  the  present  secretary  and  treasurer, 
became  connected  with  the  bank  as  assistant  treasurer.  Mr.  Hunt,  at  the  time 
of  his  election,  was  a  practicing  lawyer  in  Waterbury  and  had  been  tax  collector 
during  the  years  1904  and  1905.  On  Mr.  Kingsbury's  retirement,  in  1909,  he 
became  secretary  and  treasurer,  which  position  he  still  holds. 

In  1892,  Edward  L.  Frisbie  was  president  of  the  bank,  which  office  he  con- 
tinued to  hold  until  1909,  the  time  of  his  death.  His  familiarity  with  the  city, 
his  knowledge  of  real  estate  values,  and  his  shrewd  common  sense  were  of  great 
value  to  the  bank.  On  Mr.  Frisbie's  death,  George  E.  Terry  was  elected  presi- 
dent, and  still  holds  that  office. 

In  1892  the  directors  of  the  bank  were  Edward  L.  Frisbie,  F.  ].  Kingsbury, 
N.  J.  Welton,  J.  W.  Smith,  George  E.  Terry,  F.  L.  Curtiss,  A.  S.  Chase,  E.  D. 
Steele  and  J.  M.  Burrall.    In  1917  all  of  these  men  are  dead  except  Mr.  Terry. 

During  the  period  from  1892  to  1917,  Edward  T.  Root  became  a  director,  and 
died  in  1910.  Charles  E.  Lamb,  who  was  long  associated  with  the  bank  as  teller, 
was  also  a  director,  and  died  in  1906.  Mention  should  also  be  made  of  Frederick 
B.  Merriman,  who  faithfully  served  the  bank  as  teller  and  bookkeeper  for  many 
years  and  died  in  1913. 

The  present  officers  and  directors  are :  George  E.  Terry,  president ;  Robert 
F.  Griggs,  vice  president;  Edwin  S.  Hunt,  secretary  and  treasurer;  Almon  B. 
Dayton,  assistant  treasurer;  directors,  George  E.  Terry,  James  S.  Elton,  Henry 
A.  Hoadley,  Henry  L.  Rowland,  Robert  F.  Griggs,  John  P.  Kellogg,  John  H. 
Goss,  John  A.  Coe,  and  Edwin  S.  Hunt. 

The  bank  has  done  business  in  the  same  place,  on  the  corner  of  North  and 
West  Main  streets,  during  the  sixty-seven  years  of  existence.  In  1896  it  erected 
the  present  handsome  Waterbury  Savings  Bank  Building.  The  banking  rooms 
were  re-arranged  and  greatly  improved  in  T915.  During  all  of  its  existence  the 
savings  bank  has  had  the  Citizens  National  Bank  as  a  tenant,  the  two  banks  hav- 
ing been  founded  by  Mr.  Kingsbury  and  somewhat  closely  associated  during  the 


\\  ATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 


151 


earlier  part  of  the  period.    They  still  occupy  quarters  in  the  same  building,  though 
their  management  is  now  entirely  distinct  and  separate. 


THE   DIME   SAVINGS    BANK   OF   W ATERBURY 

The  Dime  Savings  Bank  of  Waterbury  received  its  charter  from  the  General 
Assembly  at  the  May  session  in  1870. 

The  incorporators  were :  Guernsey  S.  Parsons,  Henry  Merriman,  Henry  C. 
Griggs,  Robert  Crane,  Douglas  F.  Maltby,  Robert  K.  Brown,  Elisha  Leaven- 
worth, Thomas  C.  Morton,  Owen  B.  King,  Charles  A.  Warren,  Caleb  T.  Hickcox, 
Francis  Spencer,  Alonson  J.  Pickett,  and  John  H.  Whittemore. 

On  July  6,  1870,  Elisha  Leavenworth  was  elected  president;  Robert  Crane, 
Thomas  C.  Morton  and  Henry  C.  Griggs,  vice  presidents ;  Guernsey  S.  Parsons, 
secretary  and  treasurer,  with  the  following  trustees,  Guernsey  S.  Parsons,  Henry 
C.  Griggs,  Douglas  F.  Maltby,  Elisha  Leavenworth,  Owen  B.  King,  Caleb  T. 
Hickcox,  Theodore  I.  Driggs,  John  W.  Smith,  Henry  Merriman,  Robert  Crane, 
Robert  K.  Brown,  Thomas  C.  Morton,  Charles  A.  Warren,  Francis  Spencer, 
Isaac  E.  Newton,  Charles  W.  Gillette,  Samuel  S.  Robinson. 

The  first  location  of  the  bank  was  at  1  Central  Row,  later  moving  to  what  is 
now  known  as  30-34  North  Main  Street.  In  1894  the  bank  purchased  the  P.  B. 
Norton  property,  at  the  corner  of  North  Main  Street  and  Abbott  Avenue,  which 
it  has  used  as  a  banking  house  since  then. 

The  following  is  a  complete  list  of  the  trustees  to  date : 


Elisha  Leavenworth, 
Douglas  F.  Maltby. 
Henry  C.  Griggs, 
Thomas  C.  Morton, 
Charles  W.  Gillette. 
Isaac  E.  Newton, 
Frederick  A.  Spencer, 
Guernsey  S.  Parsons. 
Samuel  S.  Robinson. 
William  Brown. 
Theodore  I.  Driggs, 
Robert  K.  Brown. 
John  W.  Smith. 
Francis  Spencer, 
Henry  Merriman. 
Robert  Crane, 
Owen  B.  King, 
Charles  A.  Warren, 
Caleb  T.  Hickcox, 


Julius  Bronson, 
John  H.  Nettleton, 
George  F.  Perry, 
George  B.  Pierpont, 
Meritt  Heminway, 
Arthur  O.  Shepardson. 
George  Prichard, 
Edwin  U.  Lathrop, 
Edward  T.  Turner, 
Norman  D.  Granniss, 
Buell  Heminway, 
Henry  H.  Peck, 
Edward  L.  Frisbie, 
James  Brown, 
Edward  C.  Lewis, 
Joseph  H.  Dudley, 
Edward  M.  Burrall, 
George  R.  Baldwin. 
Leman  W.  Cutler, 


Otis  S.  Northrop, 
Edward  T.  Root, 
Mark  L.  Sperry, 
William  E.  Fulton, 
John  P.  Elton, 
Oilman  C.  Hill, 
Ralph  N.  Blakeslee, 
Frank  B.  Buck, 
J.  Hobart  Bronson, 
George  L.  White, 
Edwin  C.  Northrop, 
John  Booth  Burrall, 
Arthur  Reed  Kimball, 
Archer  J.  Smith, 
Harris  Whittemore, 
William  B.  Merriman, 
Darragh  DeLancey. 


The  present  officers  and  trustees  are  as  follows :  President,  Henry  H.  Peck ; 
vice  presidents.  John  P.  Elton,  Arthur  O.  Shepardson,  Mark  L.  Sperry;  con- 
troller. Otis  S.  Northrop;  secretary  and  treasurer,  Edwin  C.  Northrop;  assistant 
treasurer,  Richard  Preusser;  trustees,  J.  Hobart  Bronson,  John  Booth  Burrall, 
Darragh  DeLancey,  lohn  P.  Elton,  William  E.  Fulton,  Oilman  C.  Hill,  Arthur 
R.  Kimball.  Edwin  C.  Northrop,  Otis  S.  Northrop,  Henry  H.  Peck,  Arthur  O. 
Shepardson.  Archer  J.  Smith.  Mark  L.  Sperry.  Harris  Whittemore. 


152  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

On  October  i,  1880,  the  deposits  were  $671,557.48. 

On  October  1,  1890,  the  deposits  were  $1,948,785.81,  and  the  total  number 
of  depositors  8,234. 

On  October  1,  1900,  the  deposits  were  $3,294,287.63,  and  the  total  number  of 
depositors  11,678. 

On  October  1,  1910,  the  deposits  were  $5,325,025.47,  and  the  total  number  of 
depositors  17,236. 

On  October  1,  1916,  the  deposits  were  $7,107,324.24,  and  the  total  number  of 
depositors  19,451. 

In  the  year  ending  October  1,  1916,  this  bank  showed  its  largest  increase  for 
any  one  year,  the  deposits  increasing  $1,117,515.83,  and  an  increase  of  2,286 
depositors. 

MANUFACTURERS    NATIONAL   BANK 

On  the  5th  of  October,  1880,  a  meeting  was  held  for  the  purpose  of  organiz- 
ing the  Manufacturers  National  Bank  of  Waterbury,  for  which  a  certificate  was 
issued  on  the  25th  of  the  same  month,  and  the  institution  opened  its  doors  for 
business. 

The  first  president  was  David  B.  Hamilton  of  Waterbury,  who  served  from 
1880  until  his  death  on  August  14,  1898.  He  was  succeeded  by  George  W.  Beach, 
who  had  been  vice  president  from  the  time  that  office  was  created  on  January  9, 
T894,  but  who  upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Hamilton  was  called  to  the  presidency  and 
so  continued  until  February,  1906.  He  was  succeeded  by  Edward  L.  Frisbie,  who 
occupied  the  office  from  March  20,  1906,  until  he,  too,  passed  away  on  April  13, 
1909.  His  successor  is  Charles  F.  Mitchell,  who  is  still  the  presiding  head  of  the 
institution,  having  been  called  to  the  position  on  May  4,  1909.  Mr.  Frisbie  had 
succeeded  Mr.  Beach  as  vice  president,  and  Mr.  Mitchell  was  his  successor  in  that 
office,  continuing  from  1906  until  he  was  called  to  the  presidency  in  1909.  R.  W. 
Hill  then  became  vice  president  and  filled  that  office  until  July  16.  1909.  William 
E.  Fulton  was  elected  vice  president  on  January  11,  1910,  and  still  continues. 

The  first  cashier  was  Charles  R.  Baldwin,  who  served  from  October  25,  1880, 
until  May  31,  1892,  when  Charles  F.  Mitchell  was  elected  and  remained  in  the  posi- 
tion until  March  20,  1906,  when  he  became  vice  president.  A.  E.  Lord  was  then 
cashier  from  that  date  until  January  12,  1909,  and  Lewis  S.  Reed  was  made  assist- 
ant cashier,  becoming  cashier  on  May  4,  1909,  and  still  remaining  in  this  position. 

The  bank  was  first  located  at  102  Bank  Street,  where  the  Jones-Morgan  Build- 
ing now  stands,  and  a  removal  was  made  to  the  present  location  in  December,  1897, 
when  quarters  were  secured  in  the  Bohl  Building,  then  owned  by  Truman  S. 
Lewis.  Soon  afterward  the  bank  purchased  the  building.  Its  policy  has  always 
been  clearly  defined  and  has  ever  been  one  which  would  bear  the  closest  investi- 
gation and  scrutiny.  A  general  banking  business  is  being  conducted  and  the  pro- 
gressive methods  which  were  early  instituted  have  developed  it  into  one  of  the 
strong  banks  of  the  state. 

THE   CITIZENS    NATIONAL    BANK 

The  Citizens  National  Bank,  which  was  founded  by  Mr.  Kingsbury  and  which 
is  co-tenant  of  the  building  with  the  Waterbury  Savings  Bank,  has  had  a  great 
growth  in  the  last  quarter  of  a  century.  Twenty-five  years  ago,  1892,  its  deposits 
amounted  to  $500,000.00.  In  1917  these  aggregate  $5,000,000.00.  Its  capital 
and  surplus  has  grown  to  $450,000.00. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY      153 

Its  officers  in  1892  were:  F.  J.  Kingsbury,  president;  F.  L.  Curtiss,  cashier; 
Directors  F.  J.  Kingsbury,  D.  E.  Sprague,  Edward  Cowles,  H.  H.  Peck  and  F.  L. 
Curtiss. 

Its  officers  and  directors  in  1917  are:  J.  H.  Bronson,  president;  E.  O.  Goss, 
vice  president;  H.  A.  Hoadley,  cashier;  E.  R.  Hudson,  R.  W.  Hurlbut,  assistant 
cashiers;  Directors  J.  H.  Bronson,  Edward  O.  Goss,  F.  S.  Chase,  John  A.  Coe, 
Jr.,  E.  S.  1  lunt,  Darragh  DeLancey,  T.  F.  Jackson,  H.  A.  Hoadley. 

THE  WEST  SIDE  SAVINGS  BANK 

The  West  Side  Savings  Bank  was  incorporated  in  1889.  Its  first  officers  were: 
President  Edward  T.  Turner,  Vice  President  J.  R.  Smith,  Treasurer  Gordon  ]. 
Lawrence.  On  October  1,  1890,  its  deposits  were  $34,664.62.  On  October  1, 
1916,  these  were  $2,143,766.34.  Of  this  amount  the  investment  in  loans  on 
Waterbury  real  estate  is  $1,629,985.00.  The  bank  was  located  on  Bank  Street  in 
Brooklyn,  rear  Holmes  booth,  Hayden's  office,  then  moving  to  the  old  Masonic 
Temple  Building,  being  afterwards  for  eighteen  years  on  the  corner  of  Center 
and  Bank  streets  and  on  January  1,  191 7,  it  moved  into  its  present  beautiful 
quarters  in  the   Buckingham   Building. 

The  present  officers  are :    President,  J.  Richard  Smith ;  vice  president,  Lewis 

A.  Piatt;  secretary,  R.  G.  Hannegan;  treasurer,  George  E.  Judd.     Its  directors 
today   are  president,   vice   president   and   treasurer  and   Nathaniel   R.   Bronson, 

B.  L.  Coe,  George  A.  Driggs,  Howard  M.  Hickcox,  T.  F.  Jackson,  Herbert  W. 
Lake  and  Michael  Guilfoile. 

THE    MERCHANTS   TRUST    COMPANY 

The  Merchants  Trust  Company  was  organized  November  28,  1910,  with  a 
capital  of  $100,000.00.  Its  deposits  at  the  end  of  the  first  year  of  its  existence 
were  $150,000.00.  Its  deposits  now.  September,  1917,  are  over  $2,000,000.00, 
and  its  surplus  is  $88,000.00. 

Its  first  officers  and  directors  were :  James  E.  Smith,  president ;  Henry 
Weyand,  secretary  and  treasurer;  directors,  the  officers  and  Michael  E.  Keeley, 
John  S.  Neagle,  Thomas  H.  Hayes,  Frank  Pepe,  Wm.  Riether,  Isidore  Chase. 

The  officers  today  are :  President,  Henry  Weyand ;  vice  president,  John  S. 
Neagle ;  secretary  and  treasurer,  John  E.  Bulger ;  E.  F.  Moran,  assistant  treas- 
urer :  directors.  Henry  Weyand,  John  S.  Neagle,  M.  E.  Keeley,  Isidore  Chase, 
Frank  Pepe,  Wm.  Riether,  James  E.  Russell,  Thomas  Finnegan,  Arthur  A. 
Tanner,  Frank  Hayes,  John  E.  Bulger. 

It  has  occupied  its  present  quarters  at  142  Grand  Street  since  its  organization. 

THE   COLONIAL    TRUST    COMPANY 

The  Colonial  Trust  Company  was  the  first  of  the  trust  companies  to  begin 
business  in  W'aterbury.  Its  original  capital  when  it  opened  its  doors  in  1899 
was  $400,000.00  with  a  surplus  of  $100,000.00.  In  191 1  the  Fourth  National 
Bank  was  consolidated  with  the  Colonial.  According  to  the  statement  issued 
March  5,  1917,  its  capital  stock  is  $400,000.00,  its  surplus  is  $535,451.20  and  its 
deposits  are  $7,033,538.09.  This  is  an  increase  from  $2,000,000.00,  its  deposits 
in  1900.  In  1902,  it  moved  into  its  own  beautiful  building  on  West  Main  Street. 
Prior  to  that  year  it  had  its  quarters  on  Center  Street. 

Its  first  president  was  D.  S.  Plume,  who  was  succeeded  by  J.  H.  Whittemore, 


154  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

both  of  whom  have  passed  away.  Otis  S.  Northrop,  its  present  executive,  suc- 
ceeded the  latter.     Gen.  Louis  N.  Van  Keuren  was  the  first  treasurer. 

The  first  directors  of  the  Colonial  Trust  Company  were  D.  S.  Plume,  J.  H. 
Whittemore,  Geo.  M.  Woodruff,  Carlos  French,  Franklin  Farrel,  C.  F.  Brooker, 
A.  M.  Young,  George  E.  Terry,  E.  M.  Burrall,  C.  P.  Goss,  E.  L.  Frisbie. 

Its  present  officers  and  directors  are  as  follows : 

Otis  S.  Northrop,  president;  George  M.  Woodruff,  vice  president;  John  P. 
Elton,  vice  president;  Charles  E.  Spencer,  Jr.,  treasurer;  W.  P.  Bryan,  secre- 
tary; H.  L.  Rowland,  trust  officer;  George  E.  Terry,  counsel;  directors,  Charles 
F.  Bliss,  William  H.  Bristol,  W.  P.  Bryan,  John  Booth  Burrall,  Wallace  H. 
Camp,  Edmund  Day,  George  A.  Driggs,  John  P.  Elton,  Alton  Farrell,  Edward 
L.  Frisbie,  W.  Shirley  Fulton,  Robert  F.  Griggs,  Arthur  R.  Kimball,  Otis  S. 
Northrop,  Lewis  A.  Piatt,  H.  L.  Rowland,  C.  E.  Spencer,  Jr.,  George  E.  Terry, 
Harris   Whittemore,    George   M.    Woodruff. 

The  Fourth  National  Bank,  now  incorporated  with  the  Colonial  Trust  Com- 
pany, as  above  stated,  was  organized  in  1887  with  a  capital  of  $100,000.00.  Its 
first  president  was  D.  S.  Plume,  and  its  first  cashier  was  Burton  G.  Bryan.  At 
the  time  of  consolidation  the  officers  and  directors  were :  J.  Richard  Smith, 
president;  Lewis  A.  Piatt  and  John  Henderson,  Jr.,  vice  presidents;  George  E. 
Judd,  treasurer;  directors,  these  officers  and  Henry  L.  Wade,  George  A.  Driggs, 
N.  R.  Bronson,  Benj.  L.  Coe,  Cornelius  Tracy,  Thomas  F.  Jackson,  Howard  M. 
Hickcox,  Herbert  W.  Lake,  Michael  Guilfoile. 

THE   WATERBURY    NATIONAL    BANK 

The  Waterbury  National  Bank  today  occupies  the  same  building,  although 
large  additions  have  been  made,  in  which  it  began  business  as  the  Waterbury 
Bank  in  September,  1848.  It  became  a  national  bank  February  2,  1865.  Its 
present  officers  are:  H.  S.  Chase,  president;  A.  J.  Blakesley,  cashier;  F.  W. 
Judson,  assistant  cashier.  The  capital  of  the  bank  today,  $500,000  is  what  it 
was  on  July  23,  1850.  Its  surplus  has  shown  a  continuous  increase,  the  last 
report  of  June,  191 7,  placing  it  at  $400,000.  Its  individual  deposits  on  the  same 
date  were  $3,883,983.10.  The  directors  at  present  are:  J.  S.  Elton,  H.  S.  Chase, 
A.  J.  Smith,  J.  R.  Smith,  Irving  S.  Chase,  A.  W.  Mitchell,  M.  Heminway,  G.  C. 
Hill,  F.  W.  judson,  Alfred  Hart,  A.  J.  Blakesley  and  Geo.  E.  Boyd. 

Augustus  Milo  Blakesley,  father  of  A.  J.  Blakesley,  present  cashier  of  the 
bank,  was  its  cashier  from  1852  until  his  death,  October  20,  1908.  J.  S.  Elton 
resigned  as  president  in  1916  and  was  succeeded  by  H.  S.  Chase. 

THE   WATERBURY    TRUST   COMPANY 

The  Waterbury  Trust  Company  was  granted  its  charter  at  the  January  ses- 
sion of  the  State  Legislature  in  1907.  Its  original  officers  were  C.  L.  Holmes, 
president ;  M.  L.  Sperry,  vice  president,  and  H.  S.  Seeley,  secretary  and  treas- 
urer.    It  began  business  on  June  24,  1907. 

The  growth  of  the  institution  since  that  date  has  been  phenomenal,  the  result 
of  sound  management  and  substantial  patronage.  It  has  been  strong  in  both 
its  general  banking  business  and  in  the  savings  department,  which  on  October 
1,  1916,  showed  1,525  deposits,  an  increase  for  the  year  of  925. 

On  August  1,  1917,  it  had  a  surplus  of  $55,431.35  and  in  1917  deposits 
amounted  to  $3,030,338.33.  Its  present  officers  and  directors  are  as  follows : 
Charles  L    Holmes,  president ;  Mark  L.  Sperry,  vice  president ;  Henry  S.  Seeley, 


IM^BM^^^^^^B 


COLONIAL   TRUST   BUILDING,   WATERBURY 


VVATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  155 

secretary  and  treasurer;  Walter  M.  Bassford,  assistant  treasurer;  Frederick  W. 
Chesson,  assistant  secretary.  Directors:  Edmund  J.  Daly,  John  Draher,  Louis 
E.  Fitzsimons  (deceased),  Harry  H.  Heminway,  Thomas  H.  Hewitt,  Charles 
L.  Holmes,  John  K.  Hughes,  Herbert  S.  Rowland,  Henry  S.  Seeley,  Mark  L. 
Sperry,  Cornelius  Tracy,  \V.  S.  R.  Wake,  Edwin  H.  Williams,  William  T. 
WOodruff  and  Charles  A.  Templeton.  Mr.  Chesson  entered  the  national  army 
in   19 1 7. 

THE   RECENT    tNSURANCE    HISTORY   OF    WATERBURY 

Waterbury  has  at  present  no  distinctly  local  life,  fire  or  accident  insurance 
organization,  although  a  recent  incorporation  leads  to  the  hope  of  early  organ- 
ization in  both  the  fire  and  life  insurance  lines. 

The  Waterbury  Board  of  Underwriters,  which  comprises  all  the  agents  and 
authorized  brokers  now  in  business  here,  is  kept  alive  by  the  earnest  effort  of 
the  leading  firms  to  see  that  the  rules  and  regulations  governing  insurance  here 
are  strictly  enforced.  These  rules  and  regulations  come  direct  from  the  New 
England  Insurance  Exchange  of  Boston,  which  is  the  governing  body  in  the  state. 

The  enactment  of  the  anti-rebating  law  by  the  last  Connecticut  Legislature 
has  greatly  aided  legitimate  insurance  business,  giving  it  the  stability  which  has 
long  been   lacking. 

There  have  been  three  notable  efforts  in  the  past  quarter  century  to  estab- 
lish distinctly  local  insurance  organizations.  The  Connecticut  Indemnity  Asso- 
ciation, which  had  been  organized  on  October  30,  1883,  was  perhaps  the  most 
pretentious  of  these  efforts.  It  was  organized  to  insure  for  life,  health  and 
accident.  Its  original  promoters  were  Victor  L.  Sawyer,  Dr.  F.  M.  Cannon, 
John  S.  Purdy  and  John  H.  Guernsey.  It  remained  in  business  until  1898,  when 
conditions  forced  it  to  liquidate. 

The  second  notable  effort  along  insurance  lines  was  the  organization  and 
operation  of  the  "Connecticut  Mutual  Steam  Boiler  Inspection  and  Insurance 
Company  in  June,  1886.  Of  this  David  S.  Plume  was  the  first  president.  Later 
D.  B.  Hamilton  was  its  executive,  and  when  it  was  finally  merged  into  the  Hart- 
ford Steam  Boiler  and  Inspection  Company  in  1906,  its  president  was  Henry 
L.  Wade. 

The  third  effort  was  in  the  year  1902  in  the  organization  of  the  Mutual 
Security  Company,  the  purpose  of  which  was  to  insure  against  strikes.  This 
continued  in  business  until  1910,  but  lack  of  interest  on  the  part  of  local  manu- 
facturers finally  convinced  its  promoters  that  the  project  could  not  succeed. 
When  it  finally  liquidated,  its  president  was  Gen.  Louis  N.  Van  Keuren  and 
its  secretary  was  F.  J.  Brown. 

The  Connecticut  Legislature,  at  its  191 7  session,  granted  charters, — one  for 
life  insurance  company  and  the  other  for  a  fire  insurance  company.  The  incor- 
porators in  both  charters  are  Messrs.  M.  E.  Keeley,  Abner  P.  Hayes,  Herman 
J.  Weisman,  and  Frank  Hayes.  No  steps  have  yet  been  taken  to  make  these 
charters  effective. 


CHAPTER  XII 
HISTORY  OF  WATERBURY'S  HOTELS 

THE  FIRE  OF  ICJ02  FOLLOWED  BY  AN  ERA  OF  HOTEL  CONSTRUCTION — THE  CONNECTI- 
CUT HOTEL EXCHANGE  HOTEL  ENLARGED RAISING  THE  FUND  FOR  THE  ELTON 

THE    SUBSCRIBERS ITS    FIRST    YEAR'S    RECORD DESCRIPTION STARTING    THE 

"IDEAL    TOUR" — THE    KINGSBURY    AND    HODSON'S — MANY     HOTELS    SPRING    UP 
DURING  MUNITION-MAKING   PERIOD. 

The  disastrous  fire  of  1902  and  the  beginning  of  munition-making  in  1914- 
191 5  mark  the  two  periods  in  which  there  was  a  distinct  growth  in  the  number 
and  the  capacity  of  Waterbury's  hotels.  In  1893,  the  beginning  of  the  present 
quarter  century,  there  were  approximately  fifteen  hotels  in  Waterbury,  most  of 
them  however  merely  large  rooming  houses.  The  Scovill  House,  of  which  T.  R. 
Howe  was  manager,  was  still  the  leading  hotel.  The  Franklin  House,  which 
was  then  operated  by  J.  Frank  Weedon,  the  Cooley  House,  run  by  A.  J.  Bunnell, 
and  Brown's  Hotel  were  all  smaller  but  well-kept  hostelries.  On  February  22, 
1894,  Brown's  Hotel  was  destroyed  by  fire.  This  was  afterwards  rebuilt  as 
a  business  block  known  as  The  Arcade.  Earle's  Hotel  was  on  the  site  of  the 
original  Naugatuck  Railroad  Station  and  Smith's  Hotel,  now  known  as  The 
Stratton,  on  East  Main  Street,  was  then  a  comparatively  new  and  rather  preten- 
tious hotel.  It  had  been  built  just  after  the  blizzard  of  1888.  Changes  in  man- 
agement and  the  opening  of  smaller  hotels  marked  nearly  every  year. 

On  February  2  and  3,  1902,  the  Scovill  House  and  Franklin  House  were 
destroyed  in  the  conflagrations  of  those  dates.  Then  followed  a  period  of  hotel 
construction  which  soon  more  than  replaced  in  capacity  the  ruined  buildings. 

Louis  F.  Haase,  who  had  a  new  building  on  Center  Street  which  he  was 
using  as  a  house  furnishing  store,  remodeled  it  completely  and  opened  it  in  1904 
under  the  name  of  the  Connecticut  Hotel.  It  was  at  first  leased  by  George  Q. 
Pattee  of  New  Britain,  afterwards  by  F.  W.  Haase,  brother  of  L.  F.  Haase.  On 
January  3,  1916,  this  was  totally  destroyed  by  fire  and  when  the  new  building 
was  completed,  it  was  leased  to  the  Metropolitan  Furniture  Company. 

Shortly  after  the  fire,  what  was  known  as  Exchange  Hotel  was  enlarged  and 
opened  in  the  building  which  is  now  the  old  part  of  Hodson's  Hotel.  The  Bank 
Hotel  was  opened  by  Robert  Molzon  at  290-292  Bank  Street.  The  building, 
which  in  1902  was  constructed  for  small  family  apartments,  was  changed  over 
into  a  hotel  and  has  retained  its  name  to  this  time.  It  has  been  managed  for 
fifteen  years  by  Michael  Molzon,  the  present  owner,  and  is  still  one  of  the  best 
of  the  smaller  hotels  of  the  city.     It  has  forty-seven  rooms. 

The  Elton,  one  of  the  finest  hotels  in  the  East,  is  however  the  notable  land- 
mark of  this  period  of  hotel  construction,  and  the  story  of  its  inception,  its 
building  and  its  official  opening  is  an  illustration  of  the  local  pride  and  public 
spirit  of  that  time. 

In  1903  the  need  of  a  fine  hotel  for  Waterbury  became  so  apparent  to  the 
leaders  of  its  business  that  a  local  company  was  formed  for  the  purpose  of 
raising,  if  needed,  half  a  million  dollars  for  a  site  and  building. 

156 


WATEKl'.l'RY  AXD  THE  XAUGATUCK  VALLEY 


157 


The  secretary  of  this  company  was  George  E.  Boyd,  and  it  was  due  to  his 
splendid  work,  as  well  as  to  the  public  spirit  of  the  entire  community,  that  the 
first  $300,000.00  the  amount  of  the  capitalization,  was  quickly  raised. 

The  official  list  of  these  stockholders  is  an  historical  document  and  is  incor- 
porated here  as  an  evidence  of  the  co-operative  spirit  of  the  community  in  time 
of  great  need. 


Shares 

300    J.  S.  Elton,  Waterbury. 

300     H.  II.  Peck,  Waterbury. 

250     Mrs.    Ellen    Scovill.    Washington, 

D.  C. 
100     Mrs.    Alary    E.    Burrall,    Water- 
bury. 
100     Mrs.  Ida  E.  Fulton,  -Waterbury. 

50     Benedict    &    Burnham    Mfg.    Co., 
Waterbury. 

50     Holmes,    Booth   &   Haydens    Co., 
Waterbury. 

50     Plume     &     Atwood     Mfg.     Co., 
Waterbury. 

50     Scovill  Mfg.  Co.,  Waterbury. 

50     Mrs.  H.  Sophia  Hoyt,  Waterbury. 

50     William  E.  Fulton,  Waterbury. 

50     Irving  H.  Chase,  Waterbury. 

50     Henry  L.  Wade,  Waterbury. 

50     Henrv    W.    Scovill,    Washington, 
D.C. 

50     Bowditch     &     Stratton,     Boston, 
Mass. 

50     Truman  S.  Lewis,  W'aterbury. 

50     Miss   Caroline   A.    Piatt,    Water- 
bury. 

50     Mrs.       Lillian       Clarke       Farrel, 
Ansonia. 

36     George  L.  White,  Waterbury. 

30     Waterbury    Button    Co.,    Water- 
bury. 

30     Oakville  Co.,  Oakville. 

30     Waterbury  Clock  Co.,  Waterbury. 

30     Ralph  H.  Smith,  W'aterbury. 

25     Waterbury     Farrel     Foundry     & 
Mach.  Co.,  Waterbury. 

25     New  England  Watch  Co.,  Water- 
bury. 

25     Waterbury    Buckle    Co.,    Water- 
bury. 

25     F.  J.  Kingsbury,  Jr.,  Fairfield. 

25     Miss  Alice  E.  Kingsbury,  Water- 
bury. 

25     Miss  Edith  D.  Kingsbury.  Water- 
bun'. 


Shares 

24     Mrs.    Mary    L.    Mitchell,    Water- 
bury. 
20     American  Ring  Co.,  Waterbury. 
20     Mrs.  C.  M.  Benedict,  Waterbury. 
20     Miss  A.  C.  Benedict,  Waterbury. 
20     American  Pin  Co.,  Waterville. 

5     Steele  &  Johnson  Mfg.  Co.,  Water- 
bury. 

5     Connecticut   Railway   &   Lighting 
Co.,  New  York. 

2     John  C.  Smith,  New  York. 

2     Charles  F.  Brooker,  Ansonia. 

2     H.  S.  Chase,  Waterbury. 

2     Otis  S.  Northrop,  Waterbury. 

2     Lewis  A.  Piatt,  Waterbury. 

2     J.  Richard  Smith,  Waterbury. 

2     Frederick  B.  Rice,  Waterbury. 

2     Berbecker  &  Rowland  Co.,  Water- 
ville. 

o     Blake  &  Johnson  Co.,  Waterbury. 

o     George  B.  Lamb,  Waterbury. 

o     Archer  J.  Smith,  Waterbury. 

o     Thomas  Fitzsimons,  Waterbury. 

o     John  Booth  Burrall,  Waterbury. 

o     William    D.    Richardson,    Water- 
bury. 

o     B.  C.  Bryan,  Waterbury. 

o     Samuel  Rosenstamm,  New  York. 

o     E.  L.  Frisbie,  Jr.,  Waterbury. 

o     D.  S.  Plume,  Waterbury. 

o     Lucien  F.  Burpee,  Waterbury. 

o     John  P.  Elton,  Waterbury. 

o     Earl  Smith,  Waterbury. 

o     F.  L.  Curtiss,  Waterbury. 

o     C.  L.  Holmes,  Waterbury. 

o     Walter  W.  Holmes,  Waterbury. 

o     Gilman  C.  Hill,  Waterbury. 

o     Mrs.    Charlotte    B.  Hill,    Water- 
bury. 

b     Thomas  Kelly,  Waterbury. 

o     Dr.  Henry  G.  Anderson,  Water- 
bury. 

o     Thomas  B.  Kent,  New  York. 

o     Cornelius  Tracy,  Waterbury. 


358 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 


Shares 

10  George  Tracy,  Waterbury. 

10  J.  M.  Burrall  &  Co.,  Waterbury. 

10  C.  H.  Tucker,  New  York. 

10  Gordon  W.  Burnham,  New  York. 

10  Miss       Florentine     H.     Hayden, 

Waterbury. 

10  Miss  Anna  L.  Ward,  Waterbury. 

10  Adolph  Lewisohn,  New  York. 

10  Herbert  P.  Camp,  Waterbury. 

10  M.  J.  Daly,  Waterbury. 

9  F.  Kingsbury  Bull,  New  York. 

9  Ludlow  S.  Bull,  New  York. 

8  Miss  Dorothy  Bull,  New  York. 

6  Dr.  F.  E.  Castle,  Waterbury. 

6  Robert  W.  Hill,  Waterbury. 

6  Charles  F.  Mitchell,  Waterbury. 

6  Fred  S.  Chase,  Waterbury. 

5  New  England    Engineering    Co., 
Waterbury. 

5  J.  K.  Smith,  Waterbury. 

5  E.  T.  Root,  Waterbury. 

5  I.  A.  Spencer,  Waterbury. 

5  Henry  Weyand,  Waterbury. 

5  John  Henderson,  Jr.,  Waterbury. 

5  Roger  S.  Wotkyns,  Waterbury. 

5  W.  B.  Merriman,  trustee,  Water- 
bury. 

5  Isidore  Chase,  Waterbury. 

5  Valentine  Bohl,  Waterbury. 

5  John  A.  Lilley,  Waterbury. 

5  Jay  H.  Hart,  Waterbury. 


Shares 

5     William  E.  Norris,  Waterbury. 

5     Dr.  C.  S.  Rodman,  Waterbury. 

5     R.  D.  Pierpont,  Waterbury. 

5     A.  O.  Jennings,  Waterbury. 

5     R.  R.  Stannard,  Waterbury. 

5     John  W.  Gaffney,  Waterbury. 

5     A.  M.  Dickinson,  Waterbury. 

5     William  F.  Chatfield,  Waterbury. 

5     J.  B.  Mullings,  Waterbury. 

5     F.  W.  Chesson,  Waterbury. 

5     Jacob  Kaiser,  Waterbury. 

5  Edwin  H.  Williams,  agent,  Water- 
bury. 

5     Merritt  Heminway,  Watertown. 

4     T.  D.  Barlow,  Waterbury. 

3  Reid  &  Hughes  Dry  Goods  Co., 
Waterbury. 

2     Oliver  R.  Barlow,  Waterbury. 

2  Mrs.  Cynthia  D.  Barlow,  Water- 
bury. 

2     Miss  Mary  A.  Barlow,  Waterbury. 

2     Charles  F.  Davis,  Waterbury. 

2  Waterbury  Paper  Box  Co.,  Inc., 
Waterbury. 

2     William  H.  Wilcox,  Waterbury. 

2     Haring  White  Griggs,  Waterbury. 

i     George  E.  Boyd,  Waterbury. 

i     Jones  &  Morgan,  Waterbury. 

i     Nelson  J.  Welton,  Waterbury. 

i     Apothecaries  Hall  Co.,  Waterbury. 


It  is  a  notable  fact  that  every  subscriber  was  told  that  there  would  probably 
never  be  a  profit,  and  there  might  be  deficits  to  cover. 

The  management  of  the  new  hotel  which  opened  its  doors  in  1904,  was 
placed  in  the  hands  of  Almon  C.  Judd,  who  knew  Waterbury  and  who  in  the 
years  of  his  absence  from  the  city,  had  been  employed  in  some  of  the  largest  hotels 
in  the  country.  The  report  of  the  first  year  was  exceedingly  gratifying.  With 
the  exception  of  the  three  summer  months,  the  hotel  had  earned  from  $300  to 
$2,000  during  each  of  the  other  months  of  the  year. 

The  location  of  the  hotel,  opposite  the  Green,  was  a  fortunate  one,  the  only 
regret  being  that  the  old  Colonial  style  Scovill  homestead  was  torn  down,  instead 
of  having  been  removed  and  saved  as  a  landmark. 

The  architecture  of  the  house  is  French  Renaissance,  and  is  dignified  and 
pleasing;  the  contraction  is  of  steel  and  brick,  fire-proofed  in  the  most  thorough 
manner. 

The  foyer  extends  across  the  front  of  the  house,  and  is  50x100  feet  in  size; 
it  has  a  marble  floor,  and  is  wainscotted  nine  feet  high  with  quartered  oak.  At 
both  ends  of  the  foyer  are  large  fireplaces.  This  foyer  is  divided  into  four 
imaginary  rooms  by  an  arrangement  of  furniture,  making  sections  for  a  writing 
room,  reading  room,  and  two  lounging  and  smoking-rooms.     Handsome  oriental 


EXCHANGE   PLACE,   WATERBURY 


THE  ELTON.  WATERBURY 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY      159 

rugs  are  on  the  floor  of  each  section,  which,  taken  in  conjunction  with  the  many 
palms  and  ferns  scattered  throughout,  add  much  to  the  general  attractiveness 
and  homelike  atmosphere  of  the  room. 

The  main  dining-room  is  located  on  the  northwest  corner  of  the  office  floor; 
it  is  finished  in  French  Renaissance  style  of  Louis  XV;  the  treatment  is  in  light 
colors,  the  woodwork  being  white,  the  walls  are  of  a  rich  maroon  and  the  ceiling 
pale  blue;  die  center  of  the  ceiling  is  raised  in  cylindrical  form,  richly  decorated 
with  festoons  and  other  ornaments  bright  with  gilding. 

The  restaurant  is  known  as  the  Flemish  Dining-room,  and  has  been  pronounced 
by  competent  judges  to  be  one  of  the  most  attractive  rooms  of  the  kind  in  exist- 
ence. It  is  finished  in  cypress,  stained  in  delicate  green  and  brown  tones ;  the 
wainscotting  and  columns  are  decorated  with  fruit  ornamentations ;  and  above 
the  wainscotting,  the  wall  is  decorated  with  free-hand  painting  of  the  grapevine 
design.  A  handsome  antique  fire-place  also  adds  beauty  to  the  room.  A  small 
balcony  on  the  left  furnishes  a  place  for  the  orchestra,  and  is  so  arranged  that 
the  music  may  be  heard  in  both  dining-rooms. 

The  ladies'  parlor  is  located  on  the  second  floor,  and  has  a  commanding  view 
of  the  center  of  the  city.  It  is  finished  in  white  enameled  carved  wood  in  French 
Renaissance  style.  Pink  tapestries  and  a  green  Wilton  carpet  make  a  very  dainty 
ensemble.     The  furniture  is  of  Circassian  walnut  in  Louis  XVI  style. 

The  halls  of  the  hotel  are  unusually  wide  and  well  lighted;  the  floors  are 
terrazzo,  and  through  the  center  is  a  handsome  hall  carpet,  made  for  the  hotel. 

The  barber  shop,  billiard  room,  and  bar  are  located  on  the  basement  floor; 
the  barber  shop  is  finished  with  a  wainscotting  of  white  marble,  and  the  floor  is 
paved  with  terrazzo.  The  entire  fittings  are  most  sanitary  and  modern.  The 
bar  and  billiard  room  are  practically  combined ;  the  bar  is  of  a  special  design,  sug- 
gestive of  an  old  Dutch  Rathskeller;  the  billiard  tables  are  specially  made  in  a 
style  to  correspond  with  the  furnishings  of  the  bar. 

Mahogany  and  tapestry  are  the  prevailing  notes  in  furniture  and  upholstery 
outside  of  the  public  rooms.  Of  the  147  bedrooms  and  suites  on  the  five  upper 
floors  of  the  hotel,  all  but  three  are  furnished  in  a  plain,  rich  mahogany,  selected 
from  the  best  factories  in  Grand  Rapids.  There  is  very  little  duplication  of 
design  in  the  bedroom  furniture,  almost  every  room  having  an  individual  touch; 
some  rooms  for  variety  have  brass  beds.  Three  of  the  finest  suites  are  furnished 
in  a  still  more  costly  wood, — Circassian  walnut,  richly  carved.  Each  room  has  a 
telephone  available  for  house  service,  as  well  as  long-distance  usage.  There  are 
fifty-nine  private  bathrooms  connected  with  the  bedrooms,  and  eleven  public 
bathrooms.  The  house  is  lighted  throughout  with  electricity  generated  on  the 
premises. 

The  working  departments,  kitchen,  laundry,  engine-room,  etc..  are  all  fitted 
with  the  modern  appliances  of  an  up-to-date  hotel. 

Mr.  Judd,  having  a  big  hotel  to  fill  and  noting  the  dearth  of  hotel  business 
during  the  summer  months,  started  in  1905,  the  year  after  the  opening  of  the 
Elton,  what  is  known  now  as  the  "Ideal  Tour"  for  automobiles.  This  is  at 
present  being  advertised  in  connection  with  the  Biltmore  at  New  York,  the 
Equinox  at  Manchester,  Vt.,  the  Granliden  at  Sunapee  Lake,  N.  H.,  the  New 
Profile  House,  at  Profile  House,  XT.  H.,  the  Crawford  House,  at  Crawford 
Notch,  X.  II.,  the  Poland  Spring  House  and  the  Mansion  House  at  Poland 
Spring.  Me.,  Hotel  Wentworth  at  Portsmouth,  N.  TL,  Hotel  Yendome  and  the 
Copley-Plaza  at  Boston,  and  Briarcliffe  Lodge  at  Briarcliffe  Manor,  N.  Y. 

The  Ideal  Tour  Route  through  New  England  has  become  an  interstate  high- 
way  which   motorists  en  route   for  all   New    England   resorts,  the  White   Moun- 


160  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

tains,  Maine,  The  Berkshires,  or  other  points  almost  invariably  follow  to  the 
point  nearest  their  destination,  as  the  Ideal  Tour  combines  the  most  beautiful 
scenic  effects,  the  best  roads,  and  conveniently  situated  hotels  of  the  highest  class, 
and  it  is  sometimes  more  convenient  for  these  motorists  to  reverse  the  tour,  or 
join  it  at  some  point  en  route. 

The  hotel  is  still  owned  by  the  old  company,  but  is  now  leased  to  Almon  C. 
Judd  on  a  yearly  rental  basis. 

Next  to  the  Elton,  the  leading  hotels  today  are  the  Kingsbury  and  Hodson's. 
The  Kingsbury,  at  44  Center  Street,  was  built  by  Cornelius  H.  Cables.  The 
Center  Street  section  was  remodeled  from  existing  buildings  and  the  section  run- 
ning back  to  Harrison  Avenue  is  entirely  new.  It  is  now  operated  by  the  Cables 
Family,  and  was  opened  on  October  25,  1908.    It  has  170  rooms. 

Hodson's  Hotel,  which  is  owned  by  J.  W.  and  F.  J.  Hodson,  is  perhaps  the 
newest  of  the  larger  hotels.  The  remodeled  part  of  West  Main  Street  was  com- 
pleted in  191 6,  and  Hodson's,  which  for  twelve  years  had  merely  been  a  large 
dining-room  and  since  1885  a  cafe,  was  now  opened  as  a  thoroughly  modern 
hotel.  For  three  years  the  old  part,  formerly  the  Exchange  Hotel,  had,  however, 
been  called  Hodson's. 

The  old  Hotel  Broadway  at  90  E.  Main  Street,  which  was  also  known  for  a 
time  as  the  Savoy,  and  in  1910  as  the  Lamphier,  became  the  Fuller  Hotel  in 
March,  191 1,  a  name  it  still  retains.     It  has  sixty  rooms. 

The  Windsor  Hotel  at  28  Center  Street  was  the  well-known  Hotel  Water- 
bury  of  two  decades  ago.  Later  it  became  the  Hotel  Plaza  and  then  the  Hotel 
Marlborough.  Two  years  ago  it  was  leased  from  the  owner  of  the  building, 
David  Ducharme  of  New  Haven,  by  W.  J.  Allen.  Its  name  had  been  changed  to 
the  Windsor  Hotel  by  Otis  Fuller,  a  prior  manager. 

The  Delmar  on  Leavenworth  Street  was  opened  as  a  hotel  on  February  16, 
1916.  Up  to  this  time  it  had  been  two  apartment  houses,  and  before  that  a 
Turkish  bathhouse.  The  structure  is  owned  by  Mrs.  Margaret  Ryder  and  the 
hotel  is  conducted  by  L.  J.  Webb. 

The  Flanders,  which  is  a  remodeled  combination  of  the  Monroe  Building  and 
of  Nos.  26  and  28  North  Main  Street,  was  opened  as  a  hotel  with  120  rooms 
on  January  1,  1917,  by  William  H.  Wood. 

The  Stag  Hotel,  which  for  three  years  has  been  run  under  that  name  by 
Thomas  D.  Bulger,  is  in  the  Griggs  Building  on  Bank  Street.  This  was  formerly 
the  Norton,  and  later  the  Heinie  and  the  Arlington. 

The  Stafford  House  on  East  Main  Street,  formerly  Smith's,  has  been  run 
for  nineteen  years  by  its  present  manager,  Mrs.   Charles  A.  Taylor. 

There  are  several  smaller  houses,  such  as  the  Colonial  and  the  Union  Square, 
but  they  come  rather  into  the  class  of  good  rooming  houses,  with  which  the  city 
is  at  present  amply  supplied. 

It  is,  however,  interesting  to  note  that  for  the  past  two  years  there  have  been 
few  vacant  rooms  in  either  the  hotels  or  rooming  houses  of  the  city,  the  prosperity 
of  the  day  reflecting  itself  in  these  hotel  housing  conditions. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE  HOSPITALS  OF  WATERBURY 

waterbury  hospital  in  its  old  quarters the  need  of  a  new  building 

contributions  pour  in  and  new  hospital  dedicated donors  of  the  build- 
ing fund officers growth  in  recent  years the  medical  board st. 

mary's  hospital,  the  inspiration  of  monsignor  slocum— -its  dedication — 
the  medical  board. 

The  first  published  suggestion  for  the  establishment  of  the  Waterbury  Hos- 
pital appeared  in  the  Waterbury  Republican  September  I,  1882.  From  that  time 
on  the  interest  in  the  project  grew,  the  State  Legislature  appropriated  $25,000 
on  condition  that  $50,000  was  raised  by  private  subscription,  and  later  gave 
it  an  additional  $25,000  and  $2,500  a  year  toward  its  maintenance.  These 
early  steps  in  the  building  up  of  the  institution  with  tributes  to  all  of  those  who 
gave  so  liberally  have  been  beautifully  recorded  by  Dr.  Joseph  Anderson  in 
his  "History  of  Waterbury." 

In  January,  1892,  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  the  hospital  had  been  in  opera- 
tion for  two  years ;  brick  additions  to  the  old  Allen  B.  Wilson  Home,  which 
constituted  the  main  building,  had  been  erected.  At  the  west  of  the  main  build- 
ing was  the  site  for  the  nurses'  home.  This  was  begun  in  November,  1892,  and 
completed  in  July,  1893.  It  was  the  gift  of  Henry  H.  Peck.  The  laundry  had 
also  been  erected  and  formed  part  of  what  was  the  Waterbury  Hospital. 

Its  officers  in  1892,  at  the  beginning  of  our  quarter  century,  were:  Presi- 
dent, Frederick  J.  Kingsbury ;  vice  president,  Augustus  S.  Chase ;  executive  com- 
mittee, Edward  L.  Frisbie,  George  W.  Beach,  Henry  H.  Peck;  secretary,  J. 
Hobart  Bronson ;  treasurer,  Augustus  M.  Blakesley ;  directors,  James  S.  Elton, 
David  S.  Plume,  Edward  C.  Lewis,  John  W.  Smith  and  the  officers  named. 

In  1892,  the  medical  staff  consisted  of  Drs.  Alfred  North  and  Edward  L. 
Griggs,  consulting  physicians  and  surgeons,  and  the  following  visiting  physicians 
and  surgeons :  Drs.  W.  W.  Holmes,  Frank  E.  Castle,  Walter  L.  Barber,  E.  W. 
McDonald,  C.  S.  Rodman,  T.  L.  Axtell,  John  M.  Benedict,  Caroline  R.  Conkey. 

The  matron  was  Miss  Mary  Felter,  and  her  staff  comprised  "one  trained 
nurse,  three  who  have  served  in  the  hospital  one  year  or  longer  and  four  in 
training."  A  janitor,  one  orderly,  a  cook,  a  waitress,  and  a  laundress  completed 
the  working  force. 

In  this  year,  the  hospital  obtained  the  Margaret  Gorman  bequest  of  $9,441.40. 
Tn  the  following  year  the  Olive  M.  Elton  fund  of  $5,000  and  the  Scott  bequest  of 
$5,000  were  received. 

In  1898,  the  hospital  had  grown  to  such  proportions  that  the  medical  staff 
was  considerably  increased.  Wlrle  in  1897  the  total  number  of  hospital  days 
recorded  was  11,120,  in  1808  it  had  grown  to  13,178.  In  1897  the  number  of 
cases  treated  was  379;  in  1898  cases  treated  were  406. 

In    1898    Miss    Mary    Felter    resigned    as    matron,    and    was    succeeded    by 
Miss   Mary  A.   Andrews. 
Vol.  1— 11 

161 


162  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

In  1901  the  ground  south  leading  to  the  roadway  was  presented  to  the  hospital 
by  James  S.  Elton. 

In  1903  the  executive  committee  had  been  at  its  task  for  fourteen  years,  and 
requested  the  selection  of  younger  men.  Messrs.  E.  L.  Frisbie,  Geo.  W.  Beach 
and  Henry  H.  Peck  had  performed  these  labors  so  well  that  it  was  only  their 
insistance  that  finally  made  a  change  necessary,  and  Messrs.  Henry  L.  Wade, 
William  E.  Fulton  and  Otis  S.  Northrop  succeeded  them. 

During  this  period  a  new  roof  was  put  on  the  wards.  The  equipment  of  a 
pathological  department  and  purchase  of  apparatus  and  hospital  instruments 
vastly  enhanced  the  hospital's  usefulness. 

A  gift  of  $1,800  from  Mr.  Kingsbury,  to  which  was  added  a  gift  from  the 
Sunday  school  children  of  the  city  made  it  possible  to  construct  a  ward  of  seven 
beds  for  children. 

In  1904  the  training  school  for  nurses  was  established. 

In  1906  James  S.  Elton  was  elected  to  the  presidency,  to  succeed  Mr.  Kings- 
bury, who  felt  that  he  had  earned  a  respite  from  his  task. 

The  need  of  increased  hospital  facilities  had  now  become  so  imperative  that 
the  officers  determined  upon  raising  an  ample  fund  for  the  construction  of  a 
new  hospital.  The  total  number  of  hospital  days  for  1906  had  gone  to  14,636 
and  in  1907  the  record  was  16,344.  The  year  1907  recorded  665  cases  treated, — 
an  increase  of  eighty-eight  over  the  previous  year. 

During  1906  the  movement  took  on  such  proportions  that  at  the  end  of  1907 
a  fund  for  new  hospital  buildings  had  reached  $250,000.  It  was  at  this  time  that 
the  property  known  as  Westwood,  containing  about  21  acres,  was  purchased  from 
C.  L.  and  W.  W.  Holmes  as  the  site  of  the  new  hospital 

In  1908  Henry  Bacon  of  New  York  was  selected  as  architect,  and  it  was 
decided  to  move  the  old  Holmes  Residence  to  a  new  location  and  to  convert  it 
into  a  nurses'  dormitory. 

On  May  16,  1910,  the  cornerstone  of  the  new  hospital  buildings  was  laid 
in  the  presence  of  the  directors  and  physicians  of  the  staff. 

When  the  new  Waterbury  Hospital  was  finally  opened  in  the  fall  of  191 1, 
it  was  found  that  more  than  $300,000  had  been  expended  in  the  construction, 
furnishings  and  fixtures. 

The  donors  of  the  building  fund  were  as  follows : 

Estate  of   Susan   Bronson,  C.  L.  and  W.  W.  Holmes,     Mrs.  Mary  J.  Schlegel, 

J.  H.  Bronson,  Frederick  J.  Kingsbury,  Archer  J.  Smith, 

Mrs.   Mary  E.  Burrall,  Elisha  Leavenworth,  M.   L.  Sperry, 

The  A.  S.  Chase  Family,  George  A.  Lewis,  Howard  B.  Turtle, 

Mrs.  Mary  A.  Curtiss,  Charles  Miller,  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Tuttle, 

James  S.  Elton,  Mrs.  Mary  L.  Mitchell,  Henry  L.  Wade, 

Franklin  Farrel,  Henry  H.  Peck,  George  L.  White. 

Mrs.  Ida  E.  Fulton,  Estate  of  C.  M.  Piatt, 

Wm.  E.  Fulton,  Heirs  of  Wm.  S.  Piatt, 

The  Buckingham  Building,  erected  in  1906,  is  the  gift  to  the  hospital  of  J.  H. 
Whittemore. 

The  nurses'  dormitory  in  Westwood  Hall  was  in  memory  of  Israel  Holmes. 

It  was  the  generosity  of  Henry  H.  Peck  which  supplied  the  substantial  iron 
fence,  the  walls  and  the  artistic  entrance  shelter  on  Robbins  Street,  later  still 
further  beautified  by  him. 

The  location  of  the  hospital  brings  out  all  the  classic  lines  of  construction. 
It  is  a  model  institution  within  and  without. 


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WATERBURV  AXJ)  THE  XAUGATUCK  VALLEY      163 

The  death,  in  191 2,  of  Henry  L.  Wade,  who  had  been  on  the  executive  com- 
mittee and  a  director  since  1903,  necessitated  the  election  of  a  new  member. 
J.  Richard  Smith  was  chosen  to  fill  the  vacancy.  Mr.  Wade's  last  gift  to  the 
Hospital  was  a  bequest  of  $5,000  for  a  free  cot.  This  is  known  as  the  Henry 
L.  Wade  Free  Bed  Fund. 

Eight  of  the  rooms  in  the  new  hospital  were  furnished  at  once  in  memory 
of  L.  Eliza  Crosby,  Mary  B.  F.  Griggs,  Robert  W.  Hull,  Capt.  Henry  B.  Peck, 
Emma  L.  Seelig.  Edward  O.  Steele,  Francis  R.  P.  Welton  and  John  Howard 
Whittemore. 

The  family  of  the  late  Doctor  North,  the  first  surgeon  on  the  staff,  donated 
the  instruments  and  cases  in  the  operating  room. 

In  1913  the  facilities  of  the  new  hospital  were  tested  almost  to  capacity. 
The  total  number  of  hospital  days  increased  to  25,866,  and  the  total  number  of 
cases  treated  was  1,335.  In  1914,  these  figures  were  respectively  25,589  and 
1,456.  But  gifts  were  showered  upon  the  new  institution  and  its  friends  saw 
to  it  that  nothing  was  lacking  to  make  it  thoroughly  up-to-date  in  its  work  and 
in  its  facilities. 

In  191 5  the  number  of  cases  treated  exceeded  the  estimated  capacity  of  the 
hospital  on  several  occasions.  In  fact,  although  but  eighty  beds  were  provided, 
there  was  often  found  room  during  the  year  for  100  patients.  It  was  in  191 5 
that  plans  were  approved  for  a  25-room  dormitory  with  assembly  hall  and  super- 
intendent's suite,  as  an  addition  to  the  nurses'  home.  Each  year  is  now  adding 
to  the  endowments.  In  191 5  Miss  Alice  Eliza  Kingsbury  gave  $5,000  for  the 
Scovill-Kingsbury  bed  which  is  established  for  the  poor  of  St.  John's  Parish, 
Waterbury. 

By  the  last  annual  report  which  covers  the  year  1916,  the  total  number  of 
cases  treated  was  1,759,  with  a  total  of  29,283  hospital  days.  During  1916  the 
improvements,  above  mentioned,  were  completed  at  a  cost  of  approximately 
.^30,000. 

During  the  year  the  bequest  of  $25,000  from  the  estate  of  Julia  V.  Warner 
Spencer  for  the  general  fund  and  $5,000  for  a  free  cot  to  be  known  as  the  Emeline 
D.  Warner  Fund,  was  announced. 

In  this  year,  too,  a  gift  of  $10,000  was  made  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  W. 
Scovill  for  the  endowment  of  a  room  to  be  known  as  Mother  Scovill's  Room. 

Up  to  August,  1917,  the  hospital  cared  for  300  more  patients  than  had  been 
treated  in  the  same  length  of  time  in  1916.  This  constant  increase  in  service  has 
now  necessitated  the  erection  of  a  new  wing  on  the  south  side  of  the  hospital, 
plans  for  which  are  being  approved.  When  this  addition  is  completed,  the  hos- 
pital will  have  a  capacity  of   175  beds. 

From  the  training  school  for  nurses  connected  with  the  hospital,  fifty  have 
been  graduated  from  1906  to  January  1,  1917.  The  largest  class,  ten,  was  grad- 
uated in  191 5.  and  the  smallest,  one,  in  1908. 

The  Hospital  Aid  Society  was  organized  as  an  efficient  source  of  helpfulness 
to  the  Waterbury  Hospital  on  September  15,  1890.  It  has  been  exceedingly 
active,  seeing  that  gifts  of  clothing,  bedding,  papers,  books,  pictures  and  deli- 
cacies are  never  lacking.  Its  officers  at  present  are:  President,  Katherine  D. 
Hamilton;  secretary,  Mrs.  Hiram  M.  Steele;  treasurer,  Abbie  S.  Kingman. 

Of  the  directors  who  were  on  the  original  board  in  T884  only  the  president, 
Tames  S.  Elton,  is  now  among  the  living.  Of  the  corporators  named  in  the 
original  charter,  only  James  S.  Elton  and  Frederick  J.  Brown  survive. 

The  officers  for  1917  are  as  follows:  President,  James  S.  Elton;  vice  presi- 
dent, Henry  H.  Peck;  treasurer,  Albert  J.  Blakesley ;  secretary,  J.  H.  Bronson ; 


164  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

executive  committee,  Otis  S.  Northrop,  J.  Richard  Smith,  Henry  H.  Peck;  super- 
intendent, Miss  Grace  L.  Wolcott;  directors,  James  S.  Elton,  Harris  Whitte- 
more,  Henry  H.  Peck,  Otis  S.  Northrop,  Henry  S.  Chase,  J.  H.  Bronson,  William 
E.  Fulton,  J.  Richard  Smith. 

The  following  is  the  medical  staff  for  191 7: 

Senior  surgeon,  F.  E.  Castle;  ophthalmic  senior  surgeon,  C.  S.  Rodman;  resi- 
dent consulting  physician  and  surgeon,  C.  W.  S.  Frost ;  non-resident  consulting 
physicians  and  surgeons,  J.  S.  Martin,  Watertown;  E.  K.  Loveland,  Watertown; 
W.  S.  Munger,  Watertown;  H.  S.  Allen,  Woodbury;  J.  M.  Benedict,  Wood- 
bury; N.  L.  Deming,  Litchfield;  F.  J.  Tuttle,  Naugatuck;  R.  S.  Goodwin,  Thomas- 
ton  ;  G.  D.  Ferguson,  Thomaston ;  Robert  Hazen,  Thomaston ;  H.  B.  Hanchett, 
Torrington ;  Harold  B.  Woodward,  Terryville ;  attending  staff,  physicians,  W.  L. 
Barber,  D.  B.  Deming,  Charles  Engelke,  F.  G.  Graves,  E.  L.  Smith,  A.  D.  Variell; 
surgeons,  W.  L.  Barber,  Jr.,  A.  A.  Crane,  N.  A.  Pomeroy,  E.  H.  Johnson,  J.  S. 
Dye,  G.  M.  Smith;  assistant  physician,  H.  E.  Hungerford;  assistant  surgeons, 
Edmund  Spicer,  E.  H.  Kirschbaum ;  gynecologists,  H.  G.  Anderson,  C.  H. 
Brown;  obstetricians,  J.  J.  Gailey,  D.  B.  Deming,  Edmund  Russell;  laryngol- 
ogist,  C.  E.  Munger;  pathologist,  Charles  Engelke;  orthopedic  surgeons,  F.  H. 
Albee,  J.  L.  Moriarty ;  opthalmic  surgeons,  D.  J.  Maloney,  T.  F.  Bevans ;  anaes- 
thetists, Edmund  Russell,  Eugene  F.  Callender,  A.  F.  McDonald ;  radiographer, 
C.  H.  Brown;  dermatologist,  T.  M.  Bull;  dental  surgeons,  H.  W.  Stevens,  A.  B. 
Holmes ;  urologist,  A.  C.  Swenson. 

st.  mary's  hospital  of  waterbury 

St.  Mary's  Hospital,  which  is  conducted  by  the  Sisters  of  St.  Joseph,  opened 
its  doors  for  the  care  of  patients  in  1909. 

The  need  of  thoroughly  equipping  an  institution  of  this  beneficent  character 
became  more  and  more  pressing.  The  women  of  Waterbury  met  on  March  7, 
1908,  and  organized  what  is  now  known  as  St.  Mary's  Hospital  Aid  Association. 
It  was  through  its  splendid  efforts  that  the  hospital  was  enabled  when  it  finally 
began  its  great  work  of  service,  to  present  an  institution  supplied  with  every 
convenience  and  modern  appliance  for  the  care  of  the  sick. 

St.  Mary's  Hospital  may  be  called  a  monument  to  the  memory  of  the  late 
Right  Rev.  Mgr.  William  J.  Slocum.  It  was  through  his  effort  that  the  initial 
funds  were  raised,  he  starting  it  with  a  contribution  of  $20,000,  and  it  was  largely 
through  his  urging  that  the  building  project  assumed  shane  in  1906  and  1907. 
In  the  latter  year  the  State  of  Connecticut  contributed  $10,000  to  the  under- 
taking,  adding  $6,250   to   this   in    1909. 

The  total  cost  of  land  and  buildings  up  to  January  1,  191 1,  was  $247,555.39. 

The  building  is  constructed  on  the  models  of  the  finest  institutions  of  the 
kind  in  the  country.     Its  equipment  is  in  every  way  up-to-date. 

Dr.  D.  J.  Maloney  furnished  the  children's  ward ;  Mary  J.  Russell  and  mem- 
bers of  her  family  furnished  another  ward.  Others  were  furnished,  one  by 
friends  in  memory  of  J.  C.  Mulville,  one  by  Frank  P.  Brett  and  Mary  Minnehan, 
one  by  E.  T.  and  Jeremiah  H.  Daly,  one  by  Notre  Dame,  one  by  St.  Bonaventure's 
Alumnae,  one  by  the  St.  Thomas  Parish,  and  one  by  Fred  Wm.  Derwin.  Many 
private  rooms  were  endowed  in  addition  to  the  above  ward  endowemnts. 

In  July,  1910,  the  hospital  was  formally  incorporated,  the  board  consisting  of: 
President,  Right  Rev.  John  Nilan,  D.  D.,  vice  president,  Rev.  Luke  Fitzsimons, 
P.  R. ;  superintendent,  Sister  Mary  Xavier,  all  of  whom  continue  in  their 
respective  offices.    The  directors  were  Right  Rev.  John  Nilan,  D.  D.,  Very  Rev. 


ST.  MARY'S  HOSPITAL,  WATERBLTRY 


WATERBURY  AXI)  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  165 

Thomas  Duggan,  V.  G.,  Rev.  Luke  Fitzsimons,  P.  R.,  Right  Rev.  John  Synnoth, 
Rev.  Timothy  Crowley,  LL.  D.,  Rev.  James  E.  O'Brien,  Win.  S.  Jones,  Terrence 
F.  Carmody,  Mortimer  I  teffernan,  W'm.  Kennedy,  Thomas  F.  Jackson,  Sister 
Mary  Germain. 

The  first  medical  staff  of  St.  Mary's  Hospital  was  as  follows:  President, 
Dr.  B.  G.  O'Jlara;  vice  president.  Dr.  Nelson  A.  Pomeroy;  secretary,  Dr.  John 
D.  Freney.  The  surgeons  were  Doctors  Pomeroy,  Kilmartin,  Crane,  Lawlor, 
Russell  and  O'Connor.  The  consultants  were  Drs.  D.  F.  Sullivan,  J.  F.  O'Con- 
nor, J.  B.  Boucher  of  Plartford,  T.  F.  McGrath  of  New  York,  and  J.  J.  Higgins 
of  New  York.  The  physicians  were  Drs.  M.  J.  Donahue,  P.  J.  Dwyer,  J.  H. 
Dillon,  F.  I.  McLarney,  J.  J.  McLinden,  P.  J.  Brennan.  The  consultants  were 
Drs.  J.  E.  Castle,  A.  W.  Tracy  of  Meriden,  W.  J.  Hogan,  W.  J.  Delaney  of  Nau- 
gatuck,  I).  Reidy  of  Winsted,  W.  J.  Barber,  Jr.,  \V.  J.  Conklin  of  Ansonia,  J.  H. 
Kane  of  Thomaston,  L.  J.  Thibault.  Gynecologist,  Dr.  Charles  A.  Monagan; 
obstetrician.  Dr.  B.  A.  O'Hara  ;  ophthalmologist,  Dr.  D.  F.  Maloney;  laryngologist, 
and  aurist,  Dr.  J.  D.  Freney ;  dermatologists,  Drs.  C.  W.  S.  Frost  and  T.  J. 
McLarney ;  pediadrists,  Drs.  J.  E.  Farrell  and  T.  F.  Healey ;  radiographist  and 
orthopedist,  Dr.  J.  L.  Moriarty;  pathologist,  Dr.  D.  B.  Deming;  gastrologist, 
Dr.  J.  Gancher. 

In  1911  the  hospital  cared  for  1,705  patients,  an  increase  of  239  over  the 
previous  year.  In  1912  there  was  an  increase  of  373  patients  or  2,001  cases 
treated  at  the  hospital;  in  1913,  2,202;  in   1914,  1,999;  in  191 5,  2,619;  m  I9J6, 

3?388. 

St.  Mary's  Hospital  as  it  is  today  has  long  since  reached  the  limit  of  its 
capacity  and  the  need  of  additional  facilities  is  so  apparent  that  the  two  proper- 
ties adjoining  the  hospital  on  Franklin  Street  have  now  been  purchased,  the  one 
costing  $11,500  and  the  other  $15,000.  On  this  it  is  proposed  to  construct  the 
necessary  additions  just  as  soon  as  building  conditions  warrant. 

The  Nurses  Home,  which  was  opened  two  years  after  the  dedication  of  the 
hospital,  has  been  an  effective  aid  to  the  institution  and  is  in  charge  of  a  corps  of 
thoroughly  experienced  teachers. 

St.  Mary's  Hospital  Aid  Association,  which  was  organized  two  years  before 
the  actual  opening  of  the  hospital  and  which  at  the  very  outset  supplied  the 
furnishings  for  the  institution,  has  continued  its  splendid  work  of  looking  after 
the  minor  needs  of  the  hospital.  No  year  has  passed  without  its  array  of  useful 
gifts  to  the  institution  and  patients. 

The  officers  of  St.  Mary's  Hospital  Aid  Association  follow :  President,  Mrs. 
M.  J.  Lawlor ;  recording  secretary,  Angela  Maloney ;  financial  secretary,  Mar- 
garet Higgins ;  treasurer,  Susan  O'Neil. 

The  medical  staff  of  the  hospital  is  at  present  as  follows:  President,  B.  A. 
O'Hara,  M.  D. ;  vice  president,  Nelson  A.  Pomeroy,  M.  D. ;  secretary,  J.  D. 
Freney,  M.  D. ;  visiting  physicians.  P.  L  Brennan,  M.  D. ;  M.  J.  Donahue,  M.  D. ; 
T.  J.  McLarney.  M.  D. :  J.  H.  Dillon.  M.  D. ;  P.  J.  Dwyer,  M.  D. ;  J.  J.  McLin- 
den, M.  D. :  assistant  physician,  R.  J.  Lawton,  M.  D.,  Terryville ;  consultant  phy- 
sicians, \V.  T-  Delaney,  M.  D. ;  W.  A.  Reilly,  M.  D..  Naugatuck;  visiting  surgeons, 
T.  T.  Kilmartin.  M.  D. ;  N.  A.  Pomeroy,  M.  D. ;  M.  J.  Lawlor.  M.  D. ;  G.  W. 
Russell.  M.  D;  P.  T.  O'Connor,  M.  D. ;  consultant  surgeon,  A.  A.  Crane,  M.  D. ; 
assistant  surgeons.  J.  W.  Fruin,  M.  D. ;  T.  E.  Parker,  M.  D. ;  J.  A.  Grady. 
M.  I).;  A.  I'.  Yastola.  M.  D. ;  attending  surgeons,  John  Sinclair  Dye,  M.  D. ; 
Andrew  Jackson,  M.  D. ;  gynecologist,  Charles  A.  Monagan.  M.  D. ;  proctologist. 
John  J.  Egan,  M.  D. ;  obstetrician,  B.  A.  O'Hara,  M.  D. ;  pediatrists,  J.  E.  Far- 


166  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

rell,  M.  D. ;  T.  J.  Healey,  M.  D. ;  R.  J.  Quinn,  M.  D. ;  ophthalmic  surgeon,  D.  J. 
Maloney,  M.  D. ;  laryngologist,  J.  D.  Freney,  M.  D. ;  orthopedist,  J.  L.  Moriarty, 
M.  D. ;  radiographists,  J.  L.  Moriarty,  M.  D. ;  J.  H.  McGrath,  M.  D. ;  dermatolo- 
Frost,gist,  T.  J.  McLarney,  M.  D. ;  consultants,  T.  M.  Bull,  M.  D. ;  C.  W.  S. 
M.  D. ;  gastrologist,  J.  B.  Gancher,  M.  D. 


CHAPTER  XIV 
THE  ORGANIZATION  OF  CHARITY 

ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  ASSOCIATED  CHARITIES — CHANGE  IN  OFFICIALS — SOCIAL 
SERVICE  CLUB  AND  ITS  WORK AIDING  THE  RED  CROSS THE  BUILDING  OF  LIN- 
COLN      HOUSE — -THE      ANTI-TUBERCULOSIS      LEAGUE STARTING      THE      OPEN-AIR 

SCHOOL — RECORDS  OE  TWO  YEARS ITS  OFFICIALS FIRST  "UNITED  CHARITIES" 

DAY    NURSERY — THE    SOUTH  MAYD    HOME KING'S    DAUGHTERS BABY    WELFARE 

STATION THE      QUEEN'S      DAUGHTERS DAUGHTERS      OF      AMERICA SALVATION 

ARMY. 

In  Waterbury,  a  generation  ago,  everybody  knew  everybody  else,  and  sick- 
ness or  misfortune  that  called  for  more  than  simple  neighborly  help  could  be 
brought  to  the  attention  of  churches,  lodges  or  employers  and  speedily  relieved 
with  certainty  as  to  the  conditions  to  be  ameliorated.  But  as  the  city  grew  this 
communal  system  became  disorganized.  For  many  years  after  the  depression 
which  began  in  1893  there  was  no  public  emergency  that  called  for  relief  with 
the  exception  of  the  South  Waterbury  fire,  which  made  many  families  homeless. 
The  panic  of  1908  fell  suddenly  and  brought  with  it  the  realization  that  the  exist- 
ing social  machinery  had  not  grown  with  the  community  and  that  a  systematic 
organization  of  charitable  effort  was  necessary. 

Before  this,  there  had  been  a  deepening  social  consciousness  and  a  deepening 
interest  in  the  community's  living  conditions  which  had  manifested  itself,  espe- 
cially in  the  anti-tuberculosis  work,  part  of  a  nation-wide  crusade.  Many  good 
enterprises  were  already  on  foot ;  some  of  them  showed  a  tendency  at  times  to 
overlap  and  some  means  of  preventing  duplication  of  effort  became  necessary. 
Thus  the  Associated  Charities  of  Waterbury  was  formed  in  1909,  largely  as  a 
result  of  experience  and  observation  of  conditions  during  the  preceding  year. 

Lincoln  House,  the  permanent  home  of  the  Associated  Charities,  has  been 
designed  for  the  Social  Service  work  of  the  community.  It  was  formally  occu- 
pied during  August,  191 7.  This  splendid  structure,  ideal  for  its  purpose,  is  the 
gift  of  a  small  coterie  of  Waterbury's  most  prominent  citizens,  who  have  ex- 
pended approximately  forty-two  thousand  dollars  in  their  self-imposed  task  of 
properly  housing  the  beneficent  activities  of  the  community.  It  may  be  said  to 
mark  for  permanence  the  great  work  of  co-ordinated  charity  in  Waterbury. 

Of  the  growth  of  the  Associated  Charities  since  the  date  of  its  organization, 
and  of  the  growth  as  well  of  the  altruistic  spirit  that  has  fathered  the  movement, 
the  following  figures  of  monies  raised  and  expended  since  October  1,  K)O0,  speak 
in  no  uncertain  tones : 

October,   ujog,  to  June  30.   [910 $  3,893.52 

July  1 .   mho,  to  June  30,  1911 5.705-54 

July  1 .   ii)ii,  to  June  30,  [912 7, 578.76 

July  1.  1912,  to  June  30.  1913 8,097.14 

July   r.  1913,  to  June  30,  1914 9,618.32 

167 


168  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

July  i,  1914,  to  June  30,  1915 14,462.61 

July  1,  1915,  to  June  30,  1916 10,389.90 

July  1,  1916,  to  June  30,  1917 11,725.15 


$71,472.94 


This  total  does  not  include  the  money  separately  raised  for  playground  work. 
The  Associated  Charities  of  Waterbury  began  its  labors  of  co-ordinating  and 
directing  the  charitable  efforts  of  the  community  on  October  1,  1909,  and  from 
that  date  until  the  end  of  its  fiscal  year,  June  30,  1917,  it  has  had  under  careful 
investigation  and  consideration  approximately  forty-five  hundred  cases,  involv- 
ing close  to  fourteen  thousand  individuals.  This  is  sufficient  testimony  that  the 
organization  has  ably  carried  out  its  important  mission  of  supplementing  the 
various  philanthropic  enterprises  which  prior  to  1909  worked  along  distinct  lines, 
in  many  instances  duplicating  and  confusing  the  great  work  of  helpfulness  to  the 
unfortunates  in  Waterbury. 

Today  by  means  of  the  organization,  all  of  the  city's  philanthropic  enterprises 
— district  nursing,  relief  work,  the  war  on  tuberculosis,  day  nurseries,  boys'  and 
girls'  clubs — are  all  in  the  field,  each  with  its  corps  of  willing  and  trained  work- 
ers, laboring  together  and  co-ordinated  on  behalf  of  the  destitute  and  stricken. 

The  functions  of  the  Associated  Charities  may  be  regarded  as  fivefold.  First. 
Co-ordination :  To  stand  as  a  clearing  house  for  the  different  philanthropic 
agencies,  that  each  may  know  what  the  others  are  doing  and  thus  be  left  free  to 
carry  its  own  work  at  highest  efficiency.  Second.  Investigation :  To  inquire 
carefully  into  the  needs  of  all  applicants  brought  to  its  attention  and  bring  them 
at  once  into  communication  with  those  organizations  or  other  forces  best  fitted 
to  meet  the  need.  Third.  Relief:  To  see  that  destitution  is  relieved  so  far  as  it 
is  in  its  power  to  relieve  it.  Fourth.  Civic  Action :  To  endeavor  to  trace  desti- 
tution to  its  social  causes  and  to  direct  its  energy  toward  the  removal  of  those 
causes,  wherever  this  is  possible.  Fifth.  Charities  Endorsement:  To  investi- 
gate the  appeals  for  money  or  other  assistance  which  come  to  the  people  of 
Waterbury  from  other  cities  for  alleged  charitable  institutions  or  societies  wher- 
ever these  appeals  come  to  its  notice,  and  to  keep  on  file  a  record  of  the  results 
of  inquiries  for  the  benefit  of  all  citizens  who  may  be  aided  by  such  information. 
The  Associated  Charities  is  in  existence  to  study  the  problem  of  poverty  in 
Waterbury  as  a  whole.  Its  aim  is  to  protect  the  community  from  the  worst  evils 
due  to  poverty  and  to  place  destitute  families  in  a  position  to  help  themselves. 

The  history  of  its  inception  begins  with  the  growing  conviction  in  the  years 
just  prior  to  1909,  that  a  real  and  increasing  need  existed  in  the  city  for  the 
establishment  of  some  central  office  or  agency  to  fill  an  evident  gap  in  the  local 
field  of  charitable  effort.  A  number  of  active  organizations  for  benevolent  pur- 
poses were  already  in  operation:  the  city  department  of  charities,  the  churches, 
the  hospitals,  the  day  nurseries,  the  Industrial  School,  the  Boys'  Club,  the  Visiting 
Nurses'  Association  (which  does  nearly  all  the  external  hospital  work  of  the  city), 
the  Anti-Tuberculosis  League,  the  Women's  Christian  Temperance  Union,  the 
King's  Daughters,  the  Queen's  Daughters  (a  group  of  noble  women  who  came 
from  France  when  the  religious  orders  were  suppressed),  the  Sunshine  Society, 
the  Salvation  Army  (organized  in  Waterbury  in  1892),  all  were  doing  charitable 
work,  but  each  along  its  own  particular  line  and  each  independently  of  the  others. 
As  a  result,  there  was  considerable  repetition  of  relief  ;  some  beneficiaries  were 
receiving  assistance  from  several  sources  without  the  knowledge,  one  of  the 
other;  others,  in  equal  or  greater  need,  failed  to  receive  the  kind  or  amount  of 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  169 

assistance  fitted  to  their  necessities.  There  was  no  central  office  from  which 
anyone  could  learn  whether  an  applicant  for  relief  was  or  was  not  already  being 
aided  by  other  means.  Particularly  was  the  lack  felt  of  some  place  where  the 
busy  citizen  or  minister  of  a  church,  besought  by  frequent  appeals  for  aid,  could 
send  an  applicant  and  know  that  his  case  would  be  carefully  investigated  and  that 
he  would  be  brought  into  touch  with  the  agency  best  suited  to  care  for  him. 

It  is  a  pleasure  to  acknowledge  at  this  point  the  appreciation  that  is  felt  for 
the  inspiration  proceeding  from  the  heart  and  mind  of  Miss  Helen  E.  Chase, 
whose  time  and  means  have  always  been  given  freely  to  brighten  the  lives  of 
others.  Circumstances  prevented  her  from  taking  an  active  part  in  the  organi- 
zation of  the  society  and  thanks  are  due  to  a  few7  other  public-spirited  citizens  for 
the  initial  steps.  Following  their  deliberations  and  their  desire  to  obtain  the  best 
advice  on  the  subject,  correspondence  was  started  with  the  Charity  Organiza- 
tion Society  and  Russell  Sage  Foundation  in  New  York  City,  which  resulted  in 
sending  to  Waterbury  in  January,  1909,  Miss  Margaret  F.  Byington,  one  of  the 
heads  of  the  department  for  the  extension  of  organized  charity. 

Conferences  were  then  held  between  some  of  the  ministers  of  the  city  churches, 
the  head  workers  and  directors  of  several  philanthropic  organizations,  and  a  group 
of  business  men  invited  for  the  purpose,  at  which  Miss  Byington  explained  the 
objects,  principles  and  methods  of  charity  organization  societies.  The  opinion 
was  generally  expressed  by  those  present  that  such  a  society  was  needed  in  Water- 
bury.  As  a  result  of  these  meetings,  a  committee  of  eleven  persons  was  appointed 
to  take  charge  of  the  formation  of  the  proposed  society.  This  committee,  as 
finally  constituted,  consisted  of  representatives  from  eight  churches,  from  the  city 
government,  and  from  the  general  body  of  business  men,  and  included  the  fol- 
lowing persons:  Chairman,  John  Moriarty;  secretary,  Robert  E.  Piatt;  John  M. 
Burrall,  Wallace  H.  Camp,  Terrence  F.  Carmody,  Isidore  Chase,  Louis  E.  Fitz- 
simons.  Charles  P.  Kellogg,  William  O'Neil,  Archibald  E.  Rice,  and  J.  K.  Smith. 
Frequent  meetings  of  this  committee  were  held  during  the  winter  months.  On 
February  28,  1909,  a  general  meeting  was  held  at  which  delegates  from  the  vari- 
ous churches  and  charitable  organizations  were  present,  articles  of  association 
were  signed  by  thirty-one  persons,  and  a  constitution  and  by-laws  for  the  pro- 
posed society  were  adopted.  A  body  of  thirty-six  directors-at-large  was  elected 
at  this  time  and  an  address  was  given  by  J.  B.  Deacon,  manager  of  the  Associated 
Charities  of  Paterson,  N.  J. 

The  first  regular  meeting  of  the  board  of  directors  was  held  in  City  Hall 
Annex  on  April  18,  1909,  when  the  officers  and  executive  committee  were  elected 
who  had  charge  of  the  society  during  its  first  year  of  active  existence.  A  special 
public  meeting  of  the  society  was  held  on  May  25th,  in  Institute  Hall,  at  which  a 
revised  constitution  and  by-laws  were  adopted  and  James  Minnick,  superintend- 
ent of  the  Society  for  Organizing  Charity  in  Providence,  R.  I.,  spoke  upon  some 
of  the  broader  aspects  of  organized  charity  work. 

At  all  of  the  meetings  of  the  organizing  committee,  and  later  of  the  execu- 
tive committee,  much  attention  was  devoted  to  the  nature  of  the  work  that  it 
was  proposed  to  do  in  Waterbury,  and  to  the  question  whether  there  should  be 
engaged  as  manager  of  the  society  some  resident  of  the  place,  or  whether  some 
person  of  experience  should  be  secured  elsewhere  who  had  had  training  in  this 
particular  kind  of  work.  The  decision  was  in  favor  of  engaging  an  experienced 
worker.  The  executive  committee  felt  itself  fortunate  in  securing  in  July,  1909, 
as  manager  of  the  Waterbury  society,  Howard  L.  Udell,  who  had  just  completed 
a  year  and  a  half  as  head  of  the  Associated  Charities  of  Pawtucket,  R.  I.,  and 
before  that  had  been  for  three  years  in  the  Bureau  of  Charities  in  Chicago,  part 
of  the  time  in  charge  of  one  of  the  large  district  offices  of  that  society. 


170  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

The  Associated  Charities  of  Waterbury  opened  its  office  in  the  Cowell-Guil- 
foile  Building,  on  October  I,  1909,  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Udell. 

In  the  very  first  nine  months  of  its  history,  the  nature  of  its  work  was  made 
clear.  It  provided  hospital  care  in  15  cases  and  it  referred  patients  in  42  in- 
stances to  the  Anti-Tuberculosis  League,  and  in  26  instances  to  the  Visiting  Nurses' 
Association. 

Of  the  64  cases  of  unemployment  which  were  brought  to  it  during  the  nine 
months  ending  July  1,  1910,  not  a  few  were  the  result  of  either  intemperance  or 
inefficiency.  Thirty  applications  for  help  were  traced  directly  to  intemperance. 
28  to  old  age,  21  to  accidents,  19  to  death  of  the  bread-winner  or  some  older 
member  of  the  family,  11  to  grave  mental  defects,  7  to  poverty  and  illness  attrib- 
utable directly  to  immorality,  4  to  the  bread-winner  being  imprisoned,  several 
to  desertion,  and  51  to  the  power  of  self-support  having  been  destroyed  or  seri- 
ously impaired  by  the  habit  of  promicuous  begging. 

During  this  initial  period  the  Associated  Charities  was  asked  to  give  or  with- 
hold its  endorsement  in  six  instances  where  outside  persons  solicited  funds  in 
Waterbury  for  alleged  charitable  institutions.  Two  of  these  were  pretended  uni- 
versities in  the  South.  Most  careful  inquiries  could  not,  however,  discover  any- 
thing resembling  a  university  in  either  of  the  places.  In  one  there  were  few,  if 
any,  students,  and  the  man  who  posed  as  president  evidently  reaped  considerable 
profit  out  of  northern  philanthropists,  desirous  of  helping  the  cause  of  education 
among  the  colored  race.  The  other  was  declared  by  persons  having  knowledge 
of  the  situation,  to  be  inefficient  to  the  last  degree.  The  organization  was  also 
called  upon  by  out-of-town  societies  and  institutions  to  make  investigations  in 
twenty-three  instances. 

The  keynote  of  the  second  year's  labor  of  the  Associated  Charities  was 
sounded  at  the  annual  and  mid-winter  meetings  of  its  board  of  directors.  The 
first  of  these  was  addressed  by  Dr.  Hastings  H.  Hart,  of  the  Russell  Sage  Foun- 
dation, on  the  general  subject  of  "Child-Helping."  The  speaker  compared  at 
length  the  advantages  of  home  and  institutional  care  for  children  and  showed  the 
incomparable  superiority  of  home  life  as  a  means  of  fitting  a  boy  or  girl  for  ulti- 
mate citizenship.  At  the  second  meeting.  Judges  Clark,  of  Hartford,  and  Math- 
ewson,  of  New  Haven,  told  of  the  splendid  work  done  in  each  of  these  cities  by 
a  woman  probation  officer,  in  visiting  the  homes  of  neglected  or  incorrigible  chil- 
dren, guiding  them  and  their  parents  toward  better  living.  As  a  result  of  their 
representations,  the  meeting  placed  itself  on  record  as  urging  the  desirability  of 
appointing  a  woman  probation  officer  in  Waterbury.  After  a  thorough  investiga- 
tion of  the  qualifications  of  various  candidates,  the  choice  fell  upon  Miss  Lillian 
Greenwood,  of  Philadelphia,  whose  services  in  Waterbury  began  September  1, 
1911. 

During  the  summer  of  191  t,  the  South  Main  Street  playground  was  opened 
through  the  efforts  of  the  Associated  Charities,  and  Miss  Sadie  Bleistift,  a  teacher 
in  one  of  the  New  York  public  schools  and  an  experienced  worker  in  the  recre- 
ation centers  of  that  city,  was  engaged  as  play-leader,  entering  on  her  services 
July  1st  and  continuing  until  August  31st.  During  that  time  her  capability  and 
resourcefulness  was  the  wonder  of  all  who  saw  her.  An  attractive  feature  was 
the  folk-dancing,  in  which  the  girls  took  part  with  great  enthusiasm,  while  the 
younger  ones  had  their  time  and  talent  absorbed  by  the  study  of  one  of  Mrs. 
John  Shotwell's  charming  playlets. 

The  regretted  and  unexpected  departure  in  May,  191 2,  of  the  manager,  How- 
ard L.  Udell,  to  a  position  of  larger  responsibility  and  remuneration  as  head  of 
the  Associated  Charities  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  called  attention  to  the  affairs  of  the 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  17] 

Waterbury  society  in  a  way  that  his  quiet  but  effective  work  might  not  otherwise 
have  done.  As  his  successor,  the  executive  committee  secured  Eugene  Kerner, 
of  Newark.  X.  J.,  who  came  highly  recommended  after  two  years'  experience  in 
the  Organized  Charities  of  Chicago,  fourteen  months  as  head  of  the  Ohio  Valley 
district  of  the  Associated  Charities  of  Pittsburgh,  and  two  years  as  organizer  of 
the  state-wide  antituberculosis  campaign  in  Kentucky. 

An  interesting  event  in  the  record  for  the  year  191 2  was  the  incorporation  of 
the  society  under  the  general  laws  of  the  state,  regulating  the  formation  of  volun- 
tary associations  without  capital  stock. 

Some  further  evidence  of  the  helpful  work  of  the  Associated  Charities  among 
the  destitute  and  stricken  was  brought  out  in  the  manager's  report  for  the  fiscal 
year  ended  June  30,  1912.  Among  the  588  families  applying  to  the  society  in  the 
year  [911-1912  there  were  found  275  persons  suffering  from  bodily  or  mental 
defects  of  long  standing  and. not  susceptible  to  immediate  cure.  Seventy-one  of 
these  were  victims  of  tuberculosis,  14  suffering  from  defective  sight,  11  were 
feeble  minded,  there  were  7  paralytics,  there  were  6  epileptics,  6  insane.  6  who 
suffered  from  chronic  heart  trouble,  5  deaf  mutes,  5  suffering  from  rheumatism, 
4  handicapped  with  chronic  kidney  trouble,  4  totally  blind,  3  with  deformed  feet, 
3  affected  with  serious  venereal,  trouble,  3  with  spinal  difficulty,  2  with  Bright's 
disease,  broken  back,  infantile  paralysis,  deformed  hand,  cancer,  loss  of  an  arm, 
loss  of  a  hand,  mental  backwardness,  loss  of  a  leg,  and  defective  speech.  In  addi- 
tion to  these  there  were  8  families  having  tubercular  history.  6  in  which  tubercu- 
losis was  suspected,  and  91  cases  of  alcoholism. 

There  were  22  instances  of  sex  immorality,  6  families  with  children  in  the 
reform  school,  6  addicted  to  the  habitual  use  of  drugs,  6  truant  children,  5  incor- 
rigibles.  4  persons  with  simply  a  police  record.  4  others  who  had  served  time  in  the 
penitentiary,  3  privately  known  to  be  dishonest,  3  merely  irresponsible,  2  sex 
degenerates,  and  2  deserting  mothers. 

In  the  summer  of  1912,  Waterbury  possessed  four  public  playgrounds  in  addi- 
tion to  the  two  conducted  respectively  by  the  Waterbury  Industrial  School  and 
the  Associated  Charities. 

What  the  Associated  Charities  has  been  able  to  do  in  the  interest  of  housing 
reform  in  Waterbury  has  been,  as  yet,  only  tentative.  Through  the  efforts  of  the 
society  a  committee  of  the  State  Conference  was  enabled  to  authorize  an  investi- 
gation of  the  housing  conditions  of  the  city.  The  services  of  Dr.  Carol  Aranovici, 
formerly  with  the  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research  in  New  York  and  later  at  Prov- 
idence, were  secured  by  this  committee.  Under  his  direction,  an  investigation 
was  conducted  which  covered  1,000  tenement  houses  in  Waterbury  and  the 
result  of  this  survey  was  presented  in  a  series  of  graphic  stereopticon  pictures  at 
the  second  meeting  of  the  State  Conference  on  the  evening  of  Sunday.  April  14, 
1912. 

An  interesting  feature  of  the  activities  of  1912  was  the  organizing  of  the 
Social  Service  Club,  to  which  all  persons  having  rendered  some  service  to  any 
one  of  the  city's  philanthropic  organizations  are  eligible.  It  meets  one  evening 
each  month,  from  October  to  May.  Its  program  consists  of  a  dinner,  followed 
by  an  address  from  some  specialist  in  social  work  on  his  own-chosen  line,  con- 
cluding with  a  general  discussion.  This  club  has  for  its  object,  chiefly  the  promo- 
tion of  acquaintance  and  good-fellowship  among  the  active  workers  in  the  chari- 
table field,  and  secondarily  to  provide  an  intellectual  stimulus  that  can  not  fail  to 
be  a  source  of  added  strength  for  the  tasks  of  the  day. 

It  was  in  the  fiscal  years  ended  June  30,  1914,  and  June  30.  1915,  respectively, 
that  the  Associated  Charities  had  its  greatest  tasks.     During  the  winter  of  19 14 


172  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

it  rendered  some  kind  of  useful  service  to  775  families,  comprising  3,434  individ- 
uals, of  whom  1,892  were  children  under  fourteen  years  of  age.  Twenty-four 
nationalities  were  represented.  This  number  does  not  include  hundreds  of  home- 
less men  who  applied  for  assistance. 

It  met  the  unusual  conditions  of  hundreds  of  unemployed  by  providing  882 
days  of  emergency  employment  for  all  able-bodied  men  with  families.  It  paid 
these  men  daily  in  the  form  of  cash,  food,  fuel  or  rent  as  seemed  best  for  each 
particular  case.  There  was  spent  in  this  way  $1,335.45.  It  kept  the  men  in  good 
physical  condition  and  preserved  their  independence  and  self-respect.  To  the 
splendid  success  of  this  scheme  much  credit  is  due  to  the  city  street  department, 
which  furnished  the  teams,  tools  and  foremen  for  the  work. 

It  created  sewing  for  a  large  number  of  women  who  were  the  bread-winners 
for  the  family.  The  sum  of  $1,373.08  was  spent  in  this  way  for  labor  and  mate- 
rial. These  women  turned  out  3,800  garments,  2,521  of  which  were  sent  to  the 
Red  Cross  and  Belgian  Relief,  and  the  remainder  were  used  locally. 

It  secured  the  co-operation  of  citizens,  who  provided  days  work  for  the  unem- 
ployed and  paid  them  in  cash. 

With  the  return  of  prosperity  came  a  new  problem  for  the  Associated  Chari- 
ties,— that  of  providing  for  those  hard  hit  by  the  high  cost  of  living.  In  its  report 
for  the  year  ended  June  30,  1916,  the  manager  says:  "There  are  many  families 
with  a  large  number  of  children  who  are  worse  off  now  than  before  our  prosperity 
began.  We  spent  $4,415.53  in  the  form  of  material  relief  in  giving  needed  aid 
to  these  families. 

"No  able-bodied  and  mentally  normal  men  have  applied  to  the  Associated 
Charities  during  the  entire  year.  Only  sick,  old  and  physically  handicapped  are 
asking  for  help  now.  The  present  demand  for  able-bodied  men  only  makes  their 
case  more  pitiful. 

"Material  relief  without  careful  personal  service  is  not  enough  for  these  fami- 
lies. Where  there  is  illness,  careful  attention  must  be  given  to  insure  proper  med- 
ical care.  The  well  members  must  be  given  adequate  income  so  that  they  may 
be  kept  well. 

"Where  defective  eyes  are  formed,  a  competent  oculist  is  consulted  and  glasses 
purchased.  Where  children  have  improper  clothing  and  shoes  for  school,  the 
parents  must  be  persuaded  (in  some  cases  forced)  to  buy  them,  or  if  upon  inves- 
tigation they  are  found  unable  to  buy  these  articles,  they  must  be  provided  for 
them.  *  * 

"With  the  relief  goes  the  care  and  plan  for  the  future,  which  is  the  only 
thing  that  really  makes  relief  worth  while.  To  give  a  man  food  one  day  and  not 
sufficient  thought  and  service  with  it  to  know  what  will  become  of  him  the  next 
day  will  secure  no  benefit  for  him.  The  Associated  Charities  aims  to  remove  as 
far  as  possible  the  cause  of  poverty,  thus  making  the  need  for  relief  less  neces- 
sary." 

Nor  does  the  work  of  helpfulness  end  here.  There  is  the  task  also  of  the 
Visiting  Housekeeper,  who  is  working  with  scores  of  families  monthly. 

As  secretary  of  the  Committee  on  Civilian  Relief  of  the  local  Red  Cross  Chap- 
ter, the  manager  of  the  Associated  Charities  had  charge  of  the  investigations  and 
disbursements  of  the  fund  for  dependent  families  of  soldiers  called  to  the  Mex- 
ican border  in  191 6,  in  the  Army  service.  The  workers  of  the  Associated  Chari- 
ties at  all  times  give  freely  of  their  services  to  kindred  social  service  work,  such 
the  the  Red  Cross  work,  Christmas  Seal  Campaign,  Social  Service  Club,  and 
others. 
.  During  the    fiscal  year  ended  June"  30,  1917,  the  unusual  growth  and  develop- 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NTAUGATUCK  VALLEY  173 

inent  of  the  Red  Cross  work,  due  to  the  war,  has  tested  the  energies  of  the  Asso- 
ciated Charities.  Its  Red  Cross  Civilian  Relief  work  has  also  gone  on  along  the 
lines  of  the  Mexican  mobilization  period. 

Its  regular  work  of  assistance  for  the  poor  and  the  sick  has  been  looked  after 
with  the  expert  skill  which  has  given  the  Associated  Charities  of  Waterbury  a 
title  to  the  gratitude  of  the  community. 

The  officers  of  the  organization  at  present  are:  John  P.  Elton,  president; 
Darragh  DeLancey,  vice  president;  Edwin  C.  Northrop,  treasurer;  Robert  E. 
Piatt,  secretary;  Eugene  Kerner,  manager;  executive  committee,  Mrs.  J.  Hobart 
Bronson,  Mrs.  Arthur  R.  Kimball,  Miss  Alice  Kingsbury,  W.  S.  Jones,  Dr.  D.  B. 
Deming,  Charles  P.  Kellogg,  Walter  D.  Makepeace,  and  Mrs.  H.  L.  Wade. 

The  directors-at-large  elected  in  1917  were:  Mrs.  J.  Hobart  Bronson,  Rev. 
F.  D.  Buckley,  Rev.  Robert  E.  Brown,  Mrs.  W.  H.  Camp,  T.  F.  Carmody,  Miss 
Helen  E.  Chase,  Isidore  Chase,  X.  Combellack,  Darragh  DeLancey,  Dr.  A.  Bed- 
ford-Deming,  Dr.  D.  B.  Deming,  John  P.  Elton,  Mrs.  John  P.  Elton,  Dr.  F.  J. 
Erbe,  George  A.  Goss,  Mrs.  K.  D.  Hamilton,  H.  G.  Hoadley,  Mrs.  C.  A.  Jackson, 
William  S.  Jones,  Mrs.  A.  R.  Kimball,  Miss  Alice  Kingsbury,  W.  D.  Makepeace, 
Julius  Maltby,  Dr.  James  L.  Moriarty,  John  Moriarty,  Edwin  C.  Northrop, 
William  O'Neil,  Miss  Katherine  L.  Peck,  Robert  E.  Piatt,  Rev.  H.  B.  Sloat,  Mrs. 
Archer  J.  Smith,  Cornelius  Tracy,  Mrs.  H.  L.  Wade,  Jay  H.  Hart. 

THE    ANTI-TUBERCULOSIS    LEAGUE    OF    WATERBURY 

W'aterbury's  Anti-Tuberculosis  League  was  officially  organized  February  16, 
1908.  During  the  nine  years  of  its  existence,  it  has  a  record  of  upwards  of  one 
hundred  and  seventy  thousand  visits  to  houses  in  which  advice  or  service  was 
needed.  It  has  taken  out  of  Waterbury  and  placed  into  sanitarium  or  into  health- 
ful country  surroundings  approximately  four  thousand  patients,  who  thus  ceased 
to  be  a  menace  to  family  and  friends.  Outdoor  sleeping  accommodations  have 
been  provided  in  several  hundred  cases.  Caretakers  have  been  supplied  in  many 
instances  ;  milk,  food,  and  medicine  have  been  distributed  where  needed.  The 
open  air  school,  now  a  part  of  Waterbury's  school  system,  was  inaugurated.  The 
children's  clinic  has  done  incalculable  good. 

These  results,  thus  briefly  summarized,  give  the  objects  that  underlie  the 
organization  of  the  Waterbury  Anti-Tuberculosis  League. 

It  was  at  a  meeting,  not  well  attended,  in  the  early  days  of  1908,  that  the  first 
steps  were  taken  to  create  the  league.  At  this  meeting  an  address  was  delivered 
by  John  F.  Gunshanan,  of  Hartford,  and  the  plan  of  organization  was  outlined 
by  the  men  and  women  who  have  been  continuously  at  its  helm.  These  were 
Arthur  R.  Kimball,  still  the  president  of  the  league;  Dr.  Thomas  J.  Kilmartin, 
secretary  throughout  its  history,  and  Dr.  Elizabeth  C.  Spencer,  of  its  early  execu- 
tive committee  and  now  an  honorary  member. 

The  plan  of  organization  embodied  the  election  of  delegates  by  the  various 
fraternal  societies  to  represent  them  on  a  central  committee.  This  central  com- 
mittee, consisting  of  156  delegates,  met  and  elected  the  customary  officers  and  an 
executive  committee  of  fifteen,  who  were  empowered  to  carry  on  the  active  work. 
The  executive  committee  organized  immediately  and  proceeded  to  adopt  consti- 
tution and  by-laws.  It  was  early  decided  that  the  dispensary  system  of  reaching 
and  aiding  those  afflicted  was  the  one  best  suited  for  Waterbury  and  contributions 
were  solicited  from  the  various  societies  that  had  sent  delegates.  Societies  re- 
sponded in  amounts  ranging  from  five  to  one  hundred  dollars,  and  in  a  very 
short  time  $1,310.59  was  raised  in  this  way.     Private  contributions  brought  the 


174  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

amount  up  to  $2,037.02,  and  with  this  fund  as  a  nucleus  the  real  work  began  by 
the  installing  of  Mary  C.  Gormley  as  nurse  in  charge,  the  supplying  of  the  needy 
with  articles  of  diet  suited  to  their  condition,  and  the  providing  of  means  for  an 
out-of-door  life  to  those  who  could  not  otherwise  procure  it. 

It  seems  only  simple  justice  to  make  official  record  in  this  place  of  the  league's 
appreciation  of  the  remarkable  and  devoted  work,  in  behalf  of  the  success  of 
Waterbury's  first  Tag  Day,  of  Dr.  Elizabeth  C.  Spencer,  her  immediate  associates, 
and  practically  all  the  women  of  Waterbury.  This  gave  an  additional  $5,965.28 
for  the  work  of  the  league  during  the  first  year. 

The  actual  labors  in  behalf  of  Waterbury's  victims  of  the  White  Plague 
began  April  20,  1908. 

At  first,  when  the  patients  were  few  in  number,  the  nurse  was  able  to  give 
them  considerable  practical  care.  But  as  the  number  increased,  it  was  evident 
that  preventive  and  educational  work  must  take  the  lead,  and  the  friends  and 
relatives  of  the  patients  must  receive  instruction  that  would  enable  them  to  give 
baths  and  attend  otherwise  to  the  personal  comfort  and  well-being  of  the  patients. 

A  number  of  cases  were  reported  by  the  Board  of  Health,  Board  of  Charities, 
a  few  by  the  doctors,  and  some  by  the  patients  themselves,  their  friends,  and  other 
sources.  The  favorable  cases  were  discovered  by  having  those  who  had  been 
exposed  to  the  disease  examined  by  Doctor  Deming  at  his  class  meeting  on 
Wednesday  mornings,  when  possible  for  the  patient  to  attend,  or  at  his  office  by 
appointment. 

A  summary  of  the  first  year's  work  is  interesting.  Fifteen  patients  were  sent 
to  the  Gaylord  Farm  Sanatorium,  only  two  of  whom  were  self-supporting.  Two 
patients  were  supported  by  the  league,  three  by  different  fraternal  organizations, 
one  by  the  Board  of  Charities,  five  by  individuals  interested  in  work  being  done, 
and  two  by  presidents  of  manufacturing  concerns. 

Two  patients,  rejected  from  Gaylord  Farm  Sanatorium,  were  sent  to  a  sani- 
tarium in  Rutland,  Mass.  One  of  'these  was  self-supporting  and  one  was  sup- 
ported by  two  clergymen. 

One  patient  was  sent  to  the  Hartford  Hospital,  and  one  was  sent  to  Ireland 
by  the  Board  of  Charities ;  one  was  sent  to  Ireland  by  relatives ;  one  to  Cleveland, 
O.,  by  fraternal  organizations;  one  to  Denver,  Colo.,  by  a  benevolent  society;  one 
went  South  by  the  aid  of  friendly  subscriptions ;  one  went  to  Providence,  R.  I., 
and  one  ex-patient  of  Gaylord  Farm  Sanatorium  went  to  work  in  Westfield, 
Mass.    Five  were  sent  to  country  places  where  homes  had  been  secured. 

One  hundred  and  fifty-two  patients  were  visited  by  the  nurse,  a  total  of  1,872 
visits  being  made. 

Fourteen  patients  were  ordered  to  sleep  out  of  doors  on  verandas,  protected 
by  drop  curtains;  twenty  reclining  chairs  were  loaned  to  patients  while  taking  the 
cure  at  home,  and  to  ten  patients  room  and  board  allowance  were  given. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  second  year,  it  was  found  necessary  to  engage  the 
services  of  a  second  nurse,  and  Miss  Josephine  V.  Hayes,  a  graduate  of  the  New 
York  City  Training  School,  having  had  considerable  experience,  and  being  a  very 
efficient  Waterbury  nurse,  received  the  appointment.  The  work  of  instructing 
and  helping  patients  in  their  homes  was  therefore  strengthened  and  a  great  deal 
of  good  has  been  accomplished. 

During  the  second  year,  162  new  cases  were  given  service  and  3,850  visits 
were  recorded  by  nurses.  Of  the  27  patients  sent  to  Gaylord  Farm  Sanatorium, 
in  1909,  only  6  were  self-supporting,  8  were  supported  by  private  individuals,  8 
received  partial  support  by  the  league,  2  were  entirely  supported  by  the  league, 
1  by  the  city,  9  received  help  from  manufacturers  and  fraternal  organizations. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  175 

During  this  year  the  work  grew  apace,  and  Dr.  Dudley  B.  Deming,  assistant 
secretary,  recorded  over  one  hundred  examinations.  Dr.  John  E.  Farrell  was 
appointed  to  take  special  charge  of  a  children's  anti-tuberculosis  class. 

In  1912  the  opening  of  the  pavilion  for  children  in  the  Gaylord  Farm  Sana- 
torium supplied  a  long-felt  need.  Two  Waterbury  children  were  sent  there  by 
the  league  immediately  after  the  opening. 

Two  years  ago  the  open  air  school,  which  had  been  conducted  by  the  league 
with  eminent  success,  was  turned  over  to  the  school  system.  It  is  now  conducted 
during  the  school  year  on  the  roof  of  the  Clark  School.  The  average  number  of 
pupils  is  forty.  These  are  all  those  in  the  public  schools  who  show  a  tendency  to 
lung  trouble,  and  who  have  permission  of  parents  to  attend  the  school.  Break- 
fast and  noonday  lunches  are  supplied,  and  these  consist  of  the  diet  so  essential 
in  cases  with  tubercular  tendencies. 

In  August,  1 91 7,  the  league  occupied  its  new  rooms  in  Lincoln  House.  Here- 
after it  will  have  splendid  accommodations  in  which  to  continue  its  work. 

The  records  for  the  last  two  years  ended  February,  1917,  show  the  growth  of 
the  work.  During  this  two  year  period,  362  cases  were  sent  to  Gaylord  Farm, 
586  were  sent  to  state  sanitaria,  145  to  county  or  other  institutions,  a  total  of 
1,093  removed  from  Waterbury  and  no  longer  a  menace  to  the  healthy.  During 
this  two  year  period,  league  nurses  visited  3,539  cases  needing  special  attention. 
In  addition,  65,000  visits  were  made  to  houses  in  which  advice  or  service  was 
needed. 

During  the  nine  years  of  its  existence,  Waterbury's  citizens  have  provided 
well  for  its  needs,  the  total  approximating  close  to  seventy-five  thousand  dollars. 

The  officers  of  the  league  are  as  follows :  President,  A.  R.  Kimball ;  first  vice 
president,  J.  L.  Saxe ;  second  vice  president,  S.  F.  Gorham;  secretary,  Dr.  T.  J. 
Kilmartin ;  assistant  secretary,  Dr.  Dudley  B.  Deming ;  treasurer,  Walter  W. 
Holmes;  publicity  secretary,  Eugene  Kerner;  executive  committee,  Oscar  Zieg- 
ler,  John  Robinson,  John  F.  Galvin,  Christian  F.  Lund,  William  Tysoe,  F.  S. 
Gorham,  Rocco  Mancini,  Paul  G.  Schultze,  A.  W.  Darley,  William  Dinneen, 
D.  L.  Summey,  W.  J.  Pape,  Albert  Lampke,  Dr.  Chas.  Engelke. 

THE  FIRST  "UNITED  CHARITIES" 

On  April  30,  1894,  at  a  meeting  held  in  the  old  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Hall  the  "United 
Charities"  of  Waterbury  was  organized.  This  to  begin  with  co-operated  with  the 
Association  for  Christian  Visitation  and  Charity  which  had  been  organized  in 
1891  by  the  Protestant  churches  of  the  city.  At  this  meeting  in  April  E.  M. 
Dickinson  represented  the  association  for  Christian  Visitation  and  Charity,  Mrs. 
R.  N.  Blakeslee  represented  the  King's  Daughters,  Henry  W.  Scovill  represented 
the  Boys'  Club,  Patrick  Holahan  the  Catholic  churches,  Horace  G.  Hoadley  the 
Citizens'  Bureau.  Later  the  Hebrew  Ladies'  Benevolent  Association,  the  Indus- 
trial School  and  other  like  organizations  joined.  Until  January  1,  1896,  the 
expense  of  maintaining  the  central  office  was  borne  by  the  directors  of  Christian 
Visitation  and  Charity,  who  also  continued  their  work,  particularly  that  con- 
nected with  a  broom  factory  established  in  1893.  Its  secretary  was  Edward  M. 
Dickinson.  For  two  years  it  held  its  quarterly  meetings  in  February,  May, 
August  and  November,  but  in  1897  the  organization  work  waned  and  the  activities 
were  again  taken  up  by  the  various  societies. 

TITK   WATERBURY  DAY    NURSERY 

The  Waterbury  Day  Nursery,  the  object  of  which  is  the  daily  care  of  children 
under  ten,  whose  mothers  are  forced  to  self-support  outside  their  homes,  had  its 


176      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

beginning  in  February,  1895,  in  a  small  building  on  Leavenworth  Street,  later 
the  site  of  the  tire  house.  It  began  with  the  care  of  three  babies  whose  cribs 
were  market  baskets,  but  under  the  devoted  care  of  Mrs.  Steinmeyer,  the  first 
matron,  it  grew  both  in  number  and  equipment.  In  1897  it  moved  to  Spring 
Street,  and  in  1898  it  secured  the  home  on  Kingsbury  Street.  This,  with  a  large 
yard  in  the  rear  for  a  playground,  made  an  ideal  place  for  its  work. 

One  of  its  beautiful  customs  established  since  its  second  year  is  the  annual 
Christmas  tree  which  all  of  its  children  come  to  enjoy. 

In  191 1  its  total  attendance  was  9,322.  Its  largest  record  for  one  day  was 
fifty  and  its  smallest  eight. 

This  record  of  service  has  been  kept  up  through  the  years  since  then,  with 
over  fifty  children  on  the  list  and  an  average  daily  attendance  of  thirty-six.  Its 
record  for  May,  1917,  was  762;  for  June,  745;  for  July,  948;  for  August,  648; 
for  September,  639;  for  October,  646;  for  November,  858. 

The  equipment  for  its  work  is  ideal.  The  kindergarten  is  finished  in  red 
enamel  and  has  in  it  all  of  the  usual  appurtenances  of  educational  beginnings. 
The  baby  room  is  in  white  enamel  and  has  thirteen  cradles.  In  this  room  are 
low  circular  tables  with  playthings.  There  are  fine  bathing  facilities  for  the 
children. 

Dinner  and  supper  are  served  the  children  daily.  While  no  children  over 
eight  years  of  age  are  cared  for,  meals  are  provided  for  any  little  ones  that 
require  such  service. 

At  present  Airs.  L.  M.  Fowler  is  superintendent. 

The  officers  of  the  Day  Nursery  are :  President,  Edith  Kingsbury ;  secretary, 
Mrs.  H.  Milroy  Steele ;  treasurer,  Martha  R.  Driggs. 

THE    SOUTH MAYD    HOME 

Mrs.  Thomas  Donaldson  was  the  founder  of  Southmayd  Home.  Although 
it  was  not  opened  until  1898  it  was  in  her  mind  as  early  as  1889,  when  she 
deposited  $10  in  a  savings  bank  as  the  nucleus  of  a  fund  for  the  establishment 
of  an  Old  Ladies'  Home  in  Waterbury.  Within  four  years  she  had  secured 
$1,700  and  many  pledges,  so  that  on  June  26,  1894,  the  property  on  North  Main 
Street  on  which  the  home  was  first  located  was  purchased. 

It  was  the  original  purpose  of  Mrs.  Donaldson  to  establish  the  home  for 
members  of  the  First  Congregational  Church  only.  But  gradually  the  plan 
broadened,  and  although  the  lot  and  home  were  deeded  to  the  First  Church  it 
was  decided  to  make  the  home  non-sectarian. 

The  name  "Southmayd"  was  suggested  by  Dr.  Joseph  Anderson  in  honor  of 
one  of  the  early  pastors  of  the  church. 

Its  first  board  of  managers  was  selected  in  December,  1894,  and  consisted  of 
Mrs.  Thomas  Donaldson,  Mrs.  G.  S.  Parsons,  Mrs.  W.  E.  Riley,  Mrs.  C.  F. 
Chapin,  Mrs.  O.  S.  Northrop,  Mrs.  C.  A.  Hamilton,  Miss  Susan  H.  Cairns  of  the 
First  Church,  Mrs.  A.  A.  Blackmail,  Miss  Charlotte  B.  Merriman,  Mrs.  A.  C. 
Northrop,  Mrs.  A.  I.  Goodrich,  Miss  Caroline  A.  Piatt  representing  the  other 
churches  of  the  city.  H.  H.  Peck,  E.  C.  Lewis  and  Cornelius  Tracy  were  named 
as  advisory  committee. 

The  managers  did  not  meet  until  1897.  Mrs.  Donaldson  had,  however,  been 
busy  and  in  August,  1897,  announced  that  the  Southmayd  Home  was  free  of 
debt  and  would  be  opened  in  the  spring. 

At  the  first  meeting  of  the  board  of  managers,  January  26,  1898,  Mrs.  A.  I. 
Goodrich  was  chosen  president;  Miss  Susan  H.  Cairns,  secretary,  which  position 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  XAUGATUCK  VALLEY      177 

she  still  occupies,  and  Mrs.  Thomas  Donaldson,  treasurer.  It  was  not  opened  in 
the  spring,  hut  the  delay  was  brief,  for  on  September  26,  1898,  the  home  was 
dedicated,  its  first  occupant  being  Mrs.  Betsey  15.  Merritt,  eighty-one  years  old 
and  blind.     She  died  at  the  home  October  7,  1900. 

On  January  6,  1901,  the  board  selected  Mrs.  Thomas  Donaldson  as  superin- 
tendent and  she  occupied  this  position  until  191 1.  Mrs.  Donaldson  died  in 
November,  1916. 

The  home  on  North  Main  Street  was  entirely  inadequate,  even  with  an  annex 
which  was  later  added,  for  it  could  accommodate  but  six  old  ladies. 

In  191 1  the  former  Nurses'  Home,  of  twenty-five  rooms,  part  of  the  older 
buildings  of  the  Waterbury  Hospital,  was  leased  to  the  Southmayd  Home 
managers  and  it  now  accommodates  sixteen  old  ladies. 

The  organization  has,  however,  purchased  a  lot  on  the  Boulevard  and  will 
begin  the  construction  of  an  ideal  Old  Ladies'  Home  with  more  than  double 
the  present  capacity,  as  soon  as  building  conditions  permit  and  as  quickly  as  a 
building  fund  can  be  obtained.  The  need  of  this  is  imperative,  as  the  applica- 
tions are  now  far  beyond  capacity. 

The  Southmayd  Home  has,  through  the  bequest  of  Elisha  Leavenworth  and 
E.  C.  Lewis,  about  $90,000  in  its  maintenance  fund,  but  this  cannot  be  touched 
for  building  purposes. 

The  officers  and  directors  of  the  Southmayd  Home  are  as  follows :  President, 
Mrs.  W.  H.  Pierce;  vice  president,  Mrs.  W.  E.  Riley;  secretary,  Miss  S.  H. 
Cairns;  treasurer,  Mrs.  H.  G.  Anderson. 

Members  of  the  board  are :  Mrs.  W.  H.  Pierce,  Mrs.  W.  E.  Riley,  Miss  S.  H. 
Cairns,  Mrs.  H.  G.  Anderson,  Mrs.  W.  W.  Holmes,  Mrs.  C.  A.  Hamilton,  Mrs. 
D.  B.  Deming,  Mrs.  W.  S.  Kellogg,  Mrs.  C.  H.  Merriam,  Mrs.  A.  D.  Field, 
Mrs.  J.  A.  Coe. 

Members  of  advisory  board:    Cornelius  Tracy,  H.  H.  Peck,  Edgar  S.  Lincoln. 

THE    KIXG'.S    DAUGHTERS 

The  King's  Daughters  was  organized  in  May,  1888,  and  of  its  ten  original 
members  there  are  now  living  Mrs.  I.  N.  Russell,  Mrs.  R.  William  Hampson,  Mrs. 
Ralph  N.  Blakeslee  and  Miss  Florence  Mabel  Chapman.  Mrs.  A.  I.  Goodrich, 
who  was  its  president  for  twenty-five  years,  died  three  years  ago.  She  was  also 
among  the  founders.  The  organization  is  non-denominational  and  does  its  work 
of  benevolence  and  charity  quietly  and  effectively.  It  takes  many  cases  in  hand 
which  could  not  well  be  looked  after  by  the  Associated  Charities.  In  many 
instances  it  supplies  weekly  allowances  to  really  deserving  poor. 

At  Christmas  time  it  distributes  baskets  of  fruit  to  its  long  list  of  people 
needing  help. 

In  November,  191 6,  the  King's  Daughters  purchased  the  three-story  building 
at  38  Grove  Street.  In  this,  to  begin  with,  six  girls  were  provided  with  room 
and  board.  In  November,  191 7,  there  are  twenty-two  girls  in  Grove  Hall  and 
many  applicants  that  cannot  be  considered  because  of  lack  of  accommodations. 
The  young  women  are  given  room  and  board  for  $6.00  or  $7.00  weekly.  The 
property  cost  the  King's  Daughters  $15,000,  and  this  has  nearly  all  been  paid  off. 

There  are  at  present  eighty  members  who  pay  annual  dues  and  who  secure 
donations  for  the  work  of  the  organization. 

Its  president  is  Mrs.  Ellen  J.  YVhiton,  the  second  to  serve  it  in  this  capacity 
since  its  organization.  Other  officers  are :  Secretary,  Miss  Flora  Church ;  treas- 
urer. Miss  Helen  Chase.  The  board  of  managers  consists  of  the  officers  and 
Vol.  1—12 


178  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Mrs.  Ralph  N.  Blakeslee,  Mrs.  S.  R.  Kelsey,  Mrs.  George  S.  Bissett  and  Airs. 
Rosa  Simmons.     The  house  mother  is  Mrs.  Elizabeth  C.  Osborne. 

THE    BABY    WELFARE    STATION 

The  Visiting  Nurses'  Association  of  Waterbury  among  its  many  notable  good 
deeds  since  its  organization  has  done  nothing  more  beneficial  to  the  community 
than  the  establishment  in  June,  1916,  of  the  Baby  Welfare  Station  at  904  Bank 
Street.  There  clinics  are  held  weekly  on  Tuesday  and  Friday  with  volunteer 
medical  services.  A  nurse  is  daily  in  attendance,  and  until  1 1  o'clock  every  morn- 
ing pasteurized  milk  is  sold  at  wholesale  to  mothers. 

The  Ladies'  Aid  Society  has  been  a  helpful  factor  in  the  work.  This  consists 
of  Miss  Edith  Kingsbury,  Mrs.  John  N.  Lewis,  Mrs.  Fred.  S.  Chase,  Miss  Martha 
R.  Driggs,  Miss  North,  Mrs.  Henry  L.  Wade. 

THE   QUEEN'S   DAUGHTERS 

The  Queen's  Daughters  is  a  Catholic  women's  charitable  organization,  founded 
in  1900  with  Father  Dunnegan  as  its  first  chaplain.  Since  then  it  has  been 
served  in  this  capacity  by  Father  Dooley  of  Sacred  Heart  Parish,  Father  James 
Broderick  and  now  Father  J.  A.  Doherty  of  Immaculate  Conception.  It  helps 
the  poor  and  sick  throughout  the  city  by  furnishing  food,  clothing,  fuel,  medicine, 
etc.,  by  employing  as  nurses  for  the  needy  sick  the  Sisters  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
who  made  1,026  visits  during  the  year,  to  November  30,  191 7,  and  by  giving 
treatment  at  St.  Mary's  Hospital  when  necessary.  Its  members  now  number 
362.  Its  officers  are :  Mrs.  B.  Doran,  president ;  Margaret  Higgins,  vice  presi- 
dent; Mrs.  J.  Powers,  recording  secretary;  Anna  Dwyer,  financial  secretary; 
Rev.  J.  A.  Doherty,  treasurer  and  chaplain. 

The  Sisters  of  the  Holy  Ghost  are  French  nuns  who  sought  refuge  in  the 
United  States  on  their  expulsion  with  many  other  religious  orders  from  France. 

THE  DAUGHTERS  OF  AMERICA 

The  Daughters  of  America,  Lincoln  Council  No.  5,  is  the  Waterbury  branch 
of  the  national  organization  of  that  name.  The  local  council  has  been  in  existence 
since  1905.    It  pays  only  funeral  benefits.     Its  membership  is  about  thirty. 

Its  present  officers  are  :  Curator,  Mrs.  Lillian  Schroeder ;  recording  secretary, 
Mrs.  Minnie  Clark;  financial  secretary,  C.  L.  Clark;  treasurer,  J.  A.  Schroeder. 

THE    SALVATION    ARMY 

The  Salvation  Army  began  its  work  in  Waterbury  in  April,  1892,  and  the  first 
officers  in  charge  were  Capt.  Alexander  Lamb  and  Lieut.  W.  Salmon.  The  first 
meetings  were  largely  street  gatherings,  and  night  after  night  required  police 
protection.  A  little  later  the  interest  increased  and  the  old  rink,  which  stood 
on  the  site  of  the  present  Buckingham  Music  Hall,  was  engaged  for  the  meetings. 
Even  though  these  were  held  indoors,  they  were  by  no  means  always  of  a  peaceful 
nature.  In  fact,  there  is  a  story  which  has  been  handed  down  as  an  authentic 
Salvation  Army  human  document,  which  tells  how  Captain  Lamb  was  thrown 
out  of  a  window  by  the  roughs  who  had  come  to  the  rink  to  break  up  the  meeting. 

But  the  work  grew  as  it  has  grown  in  all  American  cities.  The  interest  of 
Waterbury  in  the  institution  may  be  said  to  date  from  the  mass  meeting  at  the 


VVATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  179 

Auditorium  October  29,  1894,  when  the  head  of  the  army,  Gen.  William  Booth, 
addressed  both  indoor  and  overflow  gatherings. 

In  1895  the  social  or  industrial  work  of  the  army  was  started  by  Capt.  John 
York.  This  was  made  possible  by  the  helpfulness  of  Waterbury  citizens.  Henry 
W.  Scovill  loaned  the  army  the  land  on  which  its  first  woodyard  was  established. 
Ralph  N.  Blakeslee  gave  his  team  to  draw  the  wood,  and  there  were  many  gen- 
erous people  who  gave  the  money  to  buy  the  wood  or  gave  the  wood.  This  was 
very  successful  through  several  cold  winters,  and  was  one  of  the  best  aids  the 
city  had  in  its  charitable  work. 

In  1900  the  army  was  in  a  position  to  occupy  a  building  of  its  own,  and  the 
present  two-story  structure  at  281  Bank  Street  was  erected  by  Mrs.  Ida  Norton. 
While  it  was  used  for  a  time,  it  was  not  until  1905  that  it  was  bought  outright. 
One  ground  floor  store  is  rented  out,  and  the  remainder  is  used  for  the  religious 
work  of  the  army.  The  officers  in  charge  today  feel  that  the  Salvation  Army 
needs  new  and  larger  quarters  and  in  a  section  where  it  can  be  more  useful. 

One  other  notable  visit,  that  of  Commander  Booth-Tucker,  now  in  charge  of 
the  Salvation  Army  work  in  India,  in  1905,  attracted  local  attention  to  its  work 
and  was  followed  by  generous  assistance  on  the  part  of  public-spirited  citizens 
of  Waterbury. 

From  1905  on,  the  army  leased  the  building  at  324  South  Main  Street  for  its 
industrial  work.  This  proved  of  exceptional  value  in  the  charitable  work  of  the 
city.  To  supplement  the  work  done  in  this  building,  Mr.  Scovill  loaned  the  army 
the  property  at  the  corner  of  Field  and  Meadow  streets,  where  baling  of  paper 
was  done  and  furniture  and  garments  were  sorted  for  distribution  in  the  larger 
building.  During  the  past  five  years,  six  teams  have  been  employed  collecting 
furniture,  garments,  shoes,  paper,  in  a  wide  area.  Twenty-five  to  thirty  men 
have  been  given  employment.  This  work,  until  April,  191 7,  was  in  charge  of 
Envoy  Harry  G.  Frese. 

At  that  time  the  rented  building  at  324  South  Main  Street  was  sold,  the  rent 
was  trebled,  and  the  army  forced  to  give  up  its  industrial  work  in  Waterbury,  as 
it  was  found  impossible  to  find  another  suitable  location  at  a  reasonable  outlay. 
This  was  followed  by  the  transfer  of  Envoy  Frese  to  Boston,  where  he  is  now 
helping  at  the  Salvation  Army's  social  center.  The  teams  were  shipped  to  Boston 
and  Hartford,  and  the  army  is  waiting  a  change  in  rental  conditions  so  that  the 
work  can  be  resumed  here. 

In  the  meantime,  the  religious  work  continues  in  charge  of  Adjutant  and 
Mrs.  A.  J.  Tilley,  who  have  been  here  for  three  years,  coming  from  Framingham, 
Mass.  They  began  their  Salvation  Army  work  thirty  years  ago,  as  pioneer 
officers  in  Newfoundland,  and  went  from  there  to  Canada.  For  the  last  twenty 
years  they  have  been  with  the  army  in  nearly  every  large  town  in  New  England. 

The  work  of  the  Salvation  Army  has  appealed  to  the  best  people  here,  and  its 
list  of  annual  donors  contains  the  name  of  nearly  every  public-spirited  citizen 
of  Waterbury.  H.  B.  Tuttle  of  Naugatuck,  A.  A.  Benedict,  I.  H.  Chase,  H.  H. 
Peck  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arthur  Reed  Kimball  are  among  those  who  have  in  the 
past  decade  been  particularly  helpful. 

Just  now  Adjutant  and  Mrs.  Tilley  are  arranging  to  have  the  Waterbury 
branch  represented  in  the  great  war  work  done  by  the  Salvation  Army,  and  which 
is  much  along  the  lines  of  the  Red  Cross  work. 


CHAPTER  XV 
REVIEW  OF  WATERBURY'S  MANUFACTURES 

THE  CENTER  OF  THE  BRASS    INDUSTRY ITS    PERCENTAGE  OF   OUTPUT   BY   DECADES 

CENSUS    FIGURES    SHOW    STRANGE    CHANGES — PRODUCTION    OF    NEEDLES,     PINS, 

HOOKS  AND  EYES NUMBER  AND  WAGES  OF  WORKERS  IN   WATERBURY  FACTORIES 

SINCE     1899 CENSUS     FIGURES     ON     VALUE    OF    WATERBURY     PRODUCTS WHAT 

WATERBURY     MANUFACTURES CONDITIONS     OF     EMPLOYMENT SEX     OF     WAGE 

EARNERS THE      WORKMEN'S      COMPENSATION      LAW FACTORY      CONSTRUCTION 

SINCE   I9OO. 

The  older  readers  of  this  volume,  whose  memories  run  back  to  the  Waterbury 
of  the  '90s,  will  remember  some  of  the  qualms  with  which  many  of  our  native 
New  Englanders,  who  then  constituted  the  bulk  of  the  population,  regarded  the 
future  of  the  city. 

It  had  been  growing  satisfactorily  in  business  and  population,  having  estab- 
lished itself  as  the  brass  center  of  the  United  States  and  having  definitely  out- 
grown, by  the  census  of  1900,  such  former  leaders  or  old  rivals  as  Norwich,  Meri- 
den,  Danbury  and  New  Britain.  It  did  a  thriving  business  in  pins,  machinery 
and  clocks.     It  was  the  home  of  the  Waterbury  watch. 

But  to  many  earnest  observers  of  the  times,  all  this  seemed  to  be  against 
nature.  New  England  as  a  whole  was  working  against  difficulties  which  must 
cause  her  manufactures  to  decay  as  her  agriculture  had  in  the  preceding  gen- 
eration. Cotton  mills  were  developing  in  the  South,  shoe  factories  in  the 
Middle  West,  machine  shops  in  Pennsylvania,  brass  foundries  in  Illinois  and 
Michigan.  New  England  was  doomed.  The  argument  against  Waterbury  was 
stronger  than  against  New  England  as  a  whole.  All  of  our  raw  materials 
came  from  long  distances.  Coal  had  to  be  hauled  from  Pennsylvania  and  no  cop- 
per was  mined  within  a  thousand  miles.  With  the  upbuilding  of  the  industries 
of  the  Middle  West,  and  consequent  shifting  westward  of  the  center  of  demand, 
was  it  reasonable  that  we  could  continue  to  haul  copper  and  spelter  past  the 
factories  of  so  many  of  our  customers,  and  ship  it  back  to  them  as  brass  bearing 
the  charge  of  a  double  freight  rate?  Waterbury  had  no  natural  advantages, — 
absolutely  none.  With  the  industrial  awakening  of  the  enterprising  West,  she 
must  cease  to  grow  and  her  business  must  languish!  In  1898  the  opening  of 
Center  Street  was  opposed  at  a  public  hearing  on  the  ground,  that  Waterbury  had 
ceased  to  grow  and  would  never  need  another  business  street. 

There  was  another  cause  for  uneasiness  in  the  "trust"  movement  which 
marked  the  closing  years  of  that  decade.  Our  industries  might  be  gathered  into 
the  grasp  of  giant  corporations  whose  controlling  spirits,  destitute  alike  of  local 
affiliations  and  decency  of  sentiment,  would  cold-bloodedly  close  down  many 
factories  on  the  ground  that  Waterbury  was  not  a  logical  site  for  an  industry, 
When  the  International  Silver  Company  acquired  the  local  silver  plate  factories 
and  promptly  vacated  the  newly-built  Rogers  &  Hamilton  factory,  the  gloomiest 

180 


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VVATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  181 

prophecies  seemed  confirmed.  To  the  minds  of  the  prophets  of  evil  it  was  a 
sign  and  a  warning. 

One  of  the  capable  manufacturers  of  Waterbury,  who  has  been  a  wizard  in 
making  two  crucible  furnaces  blossom  where  one  had  previously  shone,  was  asked 
a  few  years  ago  whether  the  iqio  census,  then  being  taken,  would  indicate  that 
Waterbury  was  in  danger  of  losing  her  position  as  the  seat  of  the  American 
brass  trade,  lie  said  frankly  that  he  did  not  know.  He  knew  the  percentage  of 
growth  of  his  own  enterprises  but  not  the  proportion  of  the  brass  business 
that  was  done  in  Waterbury.  But  he  answered  in  terms  of  brick  and  mortar. 
He  pointed  out  that  the  continuous  enlargements  of  the  Naugatuck  Valley  brass 
foundries  was  the  best  answer  to  any  misgivings  as  to  the  future  of  the  brass  trade 
hereabouts. 

"The  brass  industry  in  Connecticut,"  says  Lathrop  in  his  valuable  monograph, 
"The  Brass  Industry,"  published  in  1909,  "affords  a  notable  example  of  concen- 
tration. In  1880,  76%;  in  1890,  70%;  in  1900,  71%;  and  in  1905,  y^/o  of  the 
rolling  of  brass  and  copper  and  the  manufacture  of  the  same  was  returned  by 
the  census  as  centered  in  the  State  of  Connecticut.  This  concentration  has  been 
accomplished,  notwithstanding  the  entire  absence  of  raw  materials  within  the 
state,  and  without  any  near  absorbing  market,  except  as  such  has  appeared  in  the 
course  of  the  development  of  the  industry  itself.  The  gross  product  of  the  brass 
mills  is  now  more  than  seventy  million  dollars  a  year.  There  was,  in  1900,  no 
example  of  specialization  involving  so  large  a  product  which  was  as  notable. 
*  *  *  Connecticut  is  retaining  her  hold  upon  the  brass  industry  in  increasing 
rather  than  in  diminishing  proportion." 

The  early  census  schedules  were  not  consistently  classified  and  some  confusion 
exists  as  to  former  conditions,  but  it  is  clear  that  textile  manufacturers  were  for  a 
long  time  more  important  in  this  state  than  the  brass  industry.  In  1900,  however, 
the  product  of  all  the  textile  mills  combined  fell  below  that  of  1880,  while  in 
1890  brass  manufacture  became  the  leading  industry  in  the  state,  and  with  its 
allied  lines  of  manufacture  had  a  gross  product  25%  larger  than  that  of  all  the 
textiles.  In  1905  the  rolling  mills  alone  had  a  product  equal  to  that  of  the 
textile  industry,  while  the  addition  of  allied  branches  produced  a  product  more 
than  twice  that  of  the  textiles. 

"From  the  first,"  says  Lathrop,  "Waterbury  has  been  the  recognized  center 
in  the  country  of  the  brass  industry,  and  within  the  city  itself  this  has  of 
course  been  the  leading  industry."  Although  the  census  apparently  confuses 
manufactured  and  unmanufactured  brass  or  treats  them  differently  at  successive 
census  periods,  the  returns  showed  in  1890  that  Waterbury  was  making  31%  of 
the  brassware  of  the  United  States  and  40%  of  the  brassware  of  Connecticut. 
In  1900,  48^  of  the  brassware  of  the  country  and  88%  of  the  brassware  of  the 
state  came  from  Waterbury.  Account  must  be  taken  here,  however,  of  a  failure 
to  distinguish  a  change  which  had  taken  place.  Formerly  practically  all  of  the 
brass  mills  in  the  state  both  rolled  brass  and  manufactured  brassware.  This  con- 
dition prevailed  in  1890  but  a  change  wyasi  taking  place.  The  foundry  and  rolling 
mills  were  a  logical  unit,  the  brassware  mill  another,  and  plants  tended  to 
specialize.  Some  important  exceptions  existed,  however,  of  which  the  Scovill 
Manufacturing  Company  is  an  instance  of  a  great  concern  which  casts,  rolls  and 
remanufactures  its  brass.  While  the  separation  spoken  of  was  taking  place  the 
product  of  some  plants  might  be  classed  either  as  "brass  and  copper,  rolled"  or 
"brassware"  according  as  to  which  constituted  at  the  time  the  greater  volume  of 
business. 


182      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

These  conditions  resulted  in  some  surprising  vagaries  in  the  census  figures. 
For  instance : 

Brass  and  Copper,  Rolled  (Entire  Country). 
1879  1889  1899 

Wage-earners    5,082  2,698  8,459 

Value  of  Products  $14,329,871         $8,381,472         $44,309,829 

Brass  Castings  (Entire  Country). 
1879  1889  1899 

Wage-earners    6,237  10,943  9,154 

Value  of  Products $10,808,742       $24,344,434         $23,891,348 

Brassware. 

1879                    1889  1899 

Wage-earners    1,142                  7,157  8,770 

Value  of  Products   $1,523,098       $13,615,172  $16,803,764 

To  accept  these  figures  must  be  to  suppose  that  from  1879  to  1889  brass 
casting  operations  more  than  doubled  but  brass  rolling  fell  off  nearly  one-half, 
while  the  manufacture  of  brassware,  largely  out  of  sheet  brass,  increased  nearly 
900  per  cent.  The  1910  census  volume  on  manufactures  admits  this  inconsistency 
in  the  figures  on  brass  rolling  and  ascribes  it  to  "changes  in  the  classification  of 
reports  of  some  establishment."  From  1899  to  1909,  it  points  out,  there  was 
greater  uniformity  in  the  method  of  classifying. 

Obviously,  estimates  of  the  relative  percentages  of  brass  rolling,  brass  casting, 
etc.,  done  by  Waterbury,  Naugatuck  Valley,  or  Connecticut  concerns  cannot  be 
accurately  made  from  the  census  figures  for  these  earlier  periods  and  compari- 
sons extending  back  forty  years  are  untrustworthy. 

There  has  been  a  change  in  the  classification,  however,  since  1899,  bronze 
products  and  reclaimed  brass  being  included  in  the  1904,  1909  and  1914  brass 
classification.  This  now  includes  the  following  subdivisions  of  the  heading 
"Brass  and  Bronze  Products:" 

Brass :     Ingot  brass  and  shapes  for  remanuf acture. 

Brass  and  Copper,  Rolled :     Sheets,  bars,  rods,  etc. 

Brass  Castings  and  Finishings :  Brass  foundry  work  and  finishing  as  dis- 
tinguished from  lighter  brassware ;  car  and  engine  brasses ;  refining  brass ;  oiling 
devices ;  safety  steam  appliances ;  brass  spigots ;  hose  couplings. 

Brassware :  Ornaments  for  furniture,  stair  plates  and  stair  rods,  fenders, 
screens,  plates,  novelties,  metal  spinning,  brass  tubing. 

Bronze  Products :  It  will  be  seen  that  the  above  list  contains  many  articles 
that  are  not  in  Waterbury 's  line  at  all  while  on  the  other  hand,  "Foundry  and 
.Machine  Shop  Products"  (primarily  iron  and  steel  wares)  contains  the  following 
subdivision  in  which  some  characteristic  Waterbury  and  Naugatuck  Valley  prod- 
ucts will  be  recognized : 

Hardware :  Locks,  brass  draping  chains,  metal  curtain  rods,  fancy  uphol- 
stery nails,  trunk  trimmings ;  cabinet,  car,  carriage,  casket,  furniture,  piano  and 
organ  hardware. 

However,  there  is  no  doubt  that  we  are  living  in  a  brass  state,  valley  and 
city.  The  leadership  is  plainly  set  forth  by  the  census  bureau  which  sets  forth 
that  in  1909  Connecticut  made  44.6  per  cent  of  the  brass  and  bronze  products 


66,932,969 

53,916,445 

49,059,000 

44.6 

527 

55-3 

31,061,875 

19,086,964 

20,238,000 

21.3 

19-5 

22.8 

16,409,613 

16,297,911 

11.0 

15-9 

4,445,658 

5,382,761 

4,147452 

3-o 

5-2 

WATERBURY  AND  THE  XAUGATUCK  VALLEY  183 

of  the  United  States,  the  two  states  next  in  order  being  New  York  with  14.8  per 
cent  and  Michigan  with  9.3  per  cent.  As  to  the  increase  or  decrease  between 
censuses,  the  only  figures  exactly  comparable  are  for  1904,  1909  and  1914,  the 
1899  figures  being  taken  on  a  slightly  different  basis,  and  figures  for  previous 
census  years  being  subject  to  vagaries.  The  comparison  for  these  four  manu- 
facturing censuses  is  as  follows: 

BRASS  AND  BRONZE  PRODUCTS 

I9H  I9O9  I904  1899 

United   States    $162,199,019     $149,989,058     $102,407,104     $88,654,000 

Connecticut    69,353,103 

Per  Cent  of  U.  S 42.1 

Waterbury      32,624,187 

Per  Cent  of  U.  S 20.1 

Ansonia    

Per  Cent  of  U.  S...  10.7 

Bridgeport    

Per  Cent  of  U.  S..  . 

The  home  of  the  brass  industry  is  thus  shown  to  be  holding,  its  own.  The 
addition  to  the  brass  classification  of  articles  in  which  we  do  not  compete  and  the 
inclusion  in  other  schedules  of  some  of  our  typical  brass  products,  vitiates  exact 
comparisons  with  earlier  census  reports  while  emphasizing  the  general  conclusions 
to  be  drawn  from  them. 

The  census  bureau  finds  in  the  localization  of  the  industry  hereabouts  one  of 
the  remarkable  examples  of  industrial  specialization  worthy  of  emphasis  in  the 
special  chapter  devoted  to  the  subject.  There  are  four  large  industries  in  which 
Connecticut  leads  all  other  states :  Brass  and  bronze,  cutlery,  firearms  and  plated 
ware.  In  three  of  the  four  Waterbury  is  interested  and  in  one  of  them  she  is  the 
leading  manufacturing  city. 

There  is  another,  smaller  but  still  significant,  industry  in  which  both  Connecti- 
cut and  Waterbury  lead.  It  is  the  classification  of  "needles,  pins  and  hooks  and 
eyes."  All  three  of  these  articles  are  never  made  in  the  same  plant,  yet  they  are 
historically  and  technically  closely  associated,  so  perhaps  the  classification  is  not 
unnatural.     Here  are  the  figures : 

PRODUCTION    OF    NEEDLES,    PINS,    HOOKS   AND    EYES 

IC/>4  1909  I914 

I  "nited   States    $4,/55>589         $6,694,095         $7,890,879 

Connecticut   3,062,193  4.236,036  5,108,556 

64-5%  63.3%  64.7% 

Waterbury.  of  course,  produces  an  important  part,  perhaps  the  major  part, 
of  these  pins  and  hooks  and  eyes,  while  Torrington  similarly  attends  to  the  pro- 
duction of  the  needles,  but  the  census  reports  do  not  go  into  too  much  detail 
because  the  number  of  plants  engaged  is  so  small  that  to  do  so  would  tend  to 
disclose  individual  operations.  The  case  is  similar  with  clocks  and  watches  made 
in  Waterbury,  which  are  listed  under  "all  other  products"  so  as  not  to  disclose  the 
operations  of  individual  plants. 


184  WATERBURY  AXD  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

With  these  lines  of  manufacture  lumped  in  the  Waterbury  manufacturing 
figures,  the  foundries  and  machine  shops  appear  in  the  schedules  as  the  second 
industry  in  size  for  which  figures  are  separately  given.  The  growth  in  this  line 
from  1904  to  1909  has  been  especially  significant: 

1904  1909 

Number  of   plants 13  23 

Persons  engaged 899  2,167 

Capital  engaged    $1,409,000         $3,985,000 

Salaries  and   wages 628,000  1,563,000 

Value  of  products 1,335,000  3,558,000 

Such  capacity  for  development  in  a  highly  competitive  industry  indicates  that 
Waterbury's  machine  shops  and  foundries  are  serving  distinct  needs  both  of  their 
district  and  elsewhere  and  are  less  dependent  upon  easy  access  to  cheap  coal, 
iron  and  steel  than  on  the  command  of  technical  knowledge  and  skill  in  handicraft 
which  are  native  among  our  people. 

Waterbury,  then,  may  feel  secure  of  the  future  of  its  leading  industry,  which 
is  localized  also  in  the  Naugatuck  Valley  and  in  Connecticut  and  has  generations 
of  stability  behind  it.  Dr.  Anderson  expressed  the  belief  that  it  was  our  poor 
soil  which  turned  the  energies  of  Waterbury's  people  to  manufacturing.  Brass 
having  been  chosen  and  the  primacy  secured,  the  skilled  labor  trained,  and  the 
inventive  ability  developed,  capital  accumulated  in  the  hands  of  men  born  in 
the  business,  the  exacting  technique  of  the  business  tended  to  keep  it  centered 
here.  It  is  shown  in  Lathrop's  history  that  after  the  beginning  of  what  came 
to  be  the  Benedict  &  Burnham  Manufacturing  Company  in  1823,  there  was  not 
a  single  enterprise  in  existence  in  1900  in  Connecticut  or  outside  of  it,  except 
the  Manhattan  Brass  Company  of  New  York  City,  which  had  been  organized 
independently  of  the  mills  in  the  Naugatuck  Valley.  Of  the  five  outside  Con- 
necticut in  1895,  one  has  since  become  a  branch  of  the  American  Brass  Company. 
Since  that  time  two  of  comparatively  recent  origin  have  entered  the  trade,  and 
one,  the  Chase  Rolling  Mill  Company,  has  begun  operations  in  Waterbury,  but 
the  growth  of  the  local  mills  has  apparently  exceeded  by  far  that  of  its  outside 
competitors.  The  next  census  will  probably  show  Waterbury's  position  in  its 
basic  industry  to  be  more  secure  than  ever. 

Nearly  all  of  the  other  industries  of  the  city  are  affiliated  with  brassmaking 
in  either  supplying  its  needs  or  using  its  product.  The  machine  shops  are  here 
to  devise  and  build  the  machinery  which  make  the  product  and  form  it  into 
articles  of  utility,  the  brassware  factories  (or  "cutting-up  shops,"  as  the  workmen 
say)  taking  the  sheets  and  wire  and  fashioning  them  for  consumption.  In  this 
class  finally  belong  the  clock,  watch  and  pin  industries,  which  grew  out  of  the 
parent  brass  mills.  They  could  have  originated  in  any  locality  and  brass  sheets 
or  wire  would  have  been  shipped  to  them,  but  the  brass  lore  was  here,  with  the 
knowledge  of  handling  our  peculiar  metal  and  the  native  ingenuity  required  to 
make  tools  and  machinery  and  devise  methods  to  turn  out  small  parts  and  articles 
economically  and   rapidly. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  strategic  basis  of  our  closely  interlocked 
industries  is  the  brass  casting  shop  and  the  brass  rolling  mill,  usually  operating 
together,  and  that  successful  operation  of  these  call  for  technical  knowledge  and 
skill  which  are  not  widespread  and  in  this  country  are  generally  acquired  in 
this  district.  The  brassware  manufacturers  tend  to  group  near  their  source  of 
supply,  which  is  the  rolling  mill.  In  1 904,  Connecticut  was  able  to  report  that 
more  than  four-fifths  of  the  brass  and  copper  was  rolled  within  the  state  and 
that  more  than  one-half  of  the  brassware  was  made  within  her  borders. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY      185 

The  great  extensions  that  have  been  made  by  the  brass  companies  since  1914 
have  brought  up  the  question  whether  there  will  be  business  enough  to  keep 
them  going  after  the  war.  Undoubtedly  a  period  of  readjustment  must  come, 
but  for  some  years  after  the  war  there  must  be  a  continued  demand  for  replace- 
ment which  has  been  neglected  during  the  period  of  hostilities  and  for  the 
enormous  and  inevitable  work  of  reconstruction  necessitated  by  war  devastation. 
Many  observers  foresee  five  years  of  active  demand  for  Waterbury's  goods  and 
that  is  as  far  as  foresight  will  go  in  most  human  affairs.  By  that  time,  the 
expansion  of  the  country's  business  and  the  great  possibilities  of  permanent 
export  trade  may  have  enabled  the  peace  demand  to  overtake  the  facilities 
created  for  war  purposes.  It  was  stated  by  John  H.  Goss  in  1916  at  a  conference 
between  manufacturers  and  railroad  operating  officials  that  the  Scovill  Manu- 
facturing Company  had  not  built  and  would  not  build  any  factory  construction 
that  it  did  not  expect  to  occupy  permanently  after  the  war. 

Some  large  local  concerns  have  already  made  inquiries  as  to  new  methods  of 
marketing  and  advertising  products  which  can  be  manufactured  in  their  plants. 
Such  a  method  of  taking  up  a  temporary  slack  after  the  war.  would  be  a 
departure  from  local  practice.  The  tradition  has  been  that  Waterbury's  energies 
are  best  devoted  to  improving  productive  methods,  leaving  the  marketing  to 
others.  The  city  produced  goods  which  were  largely  materials  for  other  manu- 
facturers. When  the  sheets  or  wire  were  re-manufactured  in  Waterbury,  it 
was  generally  on  order.  The  principal  marketing  successes  were  made  over 
outside  trademarks.  Probably  the  time  has  come  to  enter  these  wider  fields,  but 
it  can  be  pointed  out  that  so  far  the  accustomed  policies  have  served  the  city 
very  well. 

The  fact  that  Waterbury  contributes  to  the  common  stock  of  goods  so  many 
thousands  of  articles  of  such  varied  uses,  and  so  many  sizes  and  shapes,  but 
invariably  articles  of  use  rather  than  luxury,  has  stabilized  the  manufacturing 
business  to  a  degree  which  might  not  have  been  attained  if  the  product  had  been 
a  comparatively  few  specialized  lines  with  a  varying  demand.  It  is  literally  true 
and  has  been  for  years  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  make  anything  from  an 
umbrella  to  a  pair  of  shoes  or  a  suit  of  clothes,  from  a  small  electric  motor  to  a 
locomotive  or  a  battleship,  from  a  trunk  or  handbag  to  a  great  office  building 
or  hotel,  without  creating  a  demand  for  something  made  of  brass  or  copper 
and  sending  to  Waterbury.  ^/*\(^  ^^^u^h 

Waterbury  is  known  as  the  Brass  City"  and  it  has  been  entitled  to  this 
significant  name  since  1858,  when  it  had  twenty-five  corporations  in  that  industry. 
In  1873  there  were  twenty-seven  companies  in  the  brass  business,  and  in  1896 
thirty-nine  were  in  the  brass  or  kindred  industries.  The  combinations  that  have 
since  been  made  have  greatly  reduced  this  number,  but  vastly  increased  plants 
and  outputs.  For  1900  Waterbury  produced  48  per  cent  of  the  brass  ware  of 
the  country;  in  1904  the  figure  was  42.2  per  cent;  in  1909  it  was  21  per  cent  of 
all  the  brass  and  bronze  produced  in  the  country.  The  census  of  manufactures 
for  19 14  makes  this  figure  20.1  per  cent. 

The  census  of  manufactures  for  1914  gives  the  total  of  brass,  bronze  and 
copper  products  as  $162,199,019,  and  credits  Connecticut  with  $69,353,103,  42.1 
per  cent  of  the  United  States'  total.  Of  this  Connecticut  total  the  Waterbury 
output  is  given  by  the  census  as  $32,624,187,  or  20.1  per  cent  of  the  United 
States'  total. 

With  this  percentage  in  mind,  that  Waterbury's  output  was  approximately 
one-half  of  the  state  output,  the  following  figures  can  be  easily  reduced  to  give 
fairly  exact  estimates  for  Waterbury's   1914  record: 


186  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

The  number  of  establishments  in  the  brass,  bronze  and  copper  industries  in 
Connecticut  for  1914  were  67 ;  the  average  number  of  wage  earners,  16,781 ; 
primary  horse  power,  57,033;  capital,  $51,886,000;  wages,  $9,846,000;  cost  of 
materials,  $53,886,000;  value  of  products,  $69,353,103. 

In  1 91 7  the  number  of  factory  employees  in  the  brass  industry  in  Waterbury 
is  approximately  25,000.  This  is  a  conservative  figure.  The  wages  are  nearly 
$18,000,000,  and  the  value  of  products  for  the  state  will  be  nearly,  if  not  over, 
$140,000,000. 

Manufacturing  in  Waterbury  has  taken  a  remarkable  step  forward  since 
191 5,  the  beginning  of  the  period  of  large  munition  orders  from  abroad.  This 
trade  flowed  to  a  greater  or  less  degree  into  almost  every  plant  in  the  city.  The 
totals  for  the  last  two  years,  giving  value  of  products  and  number  and  wages  of 
employees,  would  show,  judging  from  the  experience  of  individual  plants,  much 
more  than  double  those  of  1914,  the  last  Government  statistics  now  available. 
As  an  illustration :  At  that  date  the  number  of  employes  at  the  Scovill  Manu- 
facturing Company  plant  was  7,500.  Today  it  is  13,500.  Wages  have  increased 
on  the  average. from  twenty  to  thirty  per  cent,  so  that  it  is  evident  that  the  figures 
given  here  for  1914  must  be  much  more  than  doubled  to  get  at  even  a  fair 
estimate  for  1917.  In  the  value  of  output,  it  is  clear  that  the  doubling  and  even 
quadrupling  of  plants,  means  a  tremendous  increase  over  the  1914  figures. 
While  the  actual  tonnage  has  more  than  doubled,  its  value  can  only  be  estimated 
by  taking  into  consideration  also  the  increase  in  prices  of  raw  and  finished 
products.  Thus  on  October  28,  1914,  both  Lake  and  electrolytic  copper  were 
quoted  at  n.50;  spelter  at  St.  Louis  was  4.95.  On  October  26,  1916,  both  Lake 
and  electrolytic  copper  were  quoted  at  28.50,  and  spelter  was  at  9.30.  Other 
materials  used  in  the  industries  in  Waterbury  had  the  same  phenomenal  rise. 

With  this  clearly  in  mind,  the  census  figures  form  a  basis  for  19 17  estimates. 

WAGE    EARNERS    IN    WATERBURY     ( CENSUS    FIGURES) 

Number  Wages 

1899   13,225  $  6,691,000 

1904   15,406  8,016,000 

1909   20,170  1 1,244,000 

1914   20,189  1 !, 503,000 

1917  (est.)    35,ooo  25,000,000 

VALUE   OF    WATERBURy's   PRODUCTS    (CENSUS    FIGURES) 

Value        No.  of  Plants  Capital 

1899 $30,330,300  124  $21,967,000 

1904 32,367,359  143  32,950,000 

I9°9 50,349,8l°  169  44,6"53.ooo 

1914 50,659,000  190  50,288,000 

The  figures  given  in  the  census  for  1914  on  fuel  used  for  power  are  interesting. 
Thus  Waterbury's  industries  in  1914  used  76,210  gross  tons  of  anthracite  coal, 
143,848  net  tons  of  bituminous  coal,  3,157  net  tons  of  coke,  84.943  barrels  of  oil, 
28.748,000  cubic  feet  of  gas. 

A   GENERAL   REVIEW 

By  specializing  and  by  devoting  brains  and  tenacity  to  its  business,  Waterbury 
has  developed  the  manufacture   and   multiplied   the   uses   of   brass,   copper  and 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NTAUGATUCK  VALLEY  187 

( lerman  silver  until  they  have  created  markets  that  are  world-wide.     They  now 
practically  control  these  trades  in  the  United  States. 

Waterbury  is  credited  with  having  a  larger  number  of  skilled  artisans  than 
any  other  city  of  equal  size  in  the  world.  The  products  of  Waterbury  can  be 
found  in  every  quarter  of  the  civilized  world.  The  Ingersoll  watch  at  the 
Waterbury  Clock  Company's  immense  factor)-,  long-  ago  reached  the  guaranteed 
output  of  more  than  12,000  daily.  The  Watcrbury-Ingersoll,  made  at  the  Ingersoll 
plant  in  Waterbury.  has  reached  nearly  2,000  daily. 

No  city  in  the  world  has  such  ;i  reputation  for  buttons  of  all  kinds.  The 
button  industry  dates  back  to  1760,  at  least,  when  Joseph  Hopkins  made  them 
of  sterling  si  her,  and  to  last  forever.  The  products  of  Waterbury  button  fac- 
tories today  reach  every  country  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 

Waterbury  has  made  lamps  and  lamp  trimmings  for  nearly  fifty  years,  and 
for  over  thirty  years  this  industry  has  been  a  great  factor  in  the  growth  of  the 
city.  Every  factory  in  the  city,  accustomed  to  lead  in  the  small  brass  goods,  makes 
some  sort  of  lamp  trimming.  In  addition  to  the  regular  lamp  burners  for  house- 
hold use,  there  is  the  lantern, — the  original  Deitz  and  its  imitations  and  several 
others  in  whole  or  part,  and  perhaps  as  great  an  industry  as  any  of  this  character, 
the  mantel  gas  burners  of  several  varieties.  Against  all  odds  the  manufacturers 
have  obtained  and  maintained  their  royal  share  of  the  burner  business  so  sub- 
stantially begun  more  than  fifty  years  ago  by  such  men  as  L.  J.  Atwood,  John  C. 
Booth,  Israel  Holmes,  and  others,  who  were  aided  materially  in  their  endeavors 
by  the  best  mechanical  skill  in  New  England. 

One  of  the  greatest  of  Waterbury's  industries  is  the  making  of  pins  of  all 
kinds.  Though  the  city  has  won  signal  honors  in  the  ornamental  pin,  the  hat  pin 
and  the  safety  pin,  she  has  by  no  means  stopped  in  her  triumphs  at  the  ordinary 
brass  and  iron  pin  industry.  Her  pins  are  used  everywhere.  Waterbury  makes 
nearly  seventy-five  per  cent  of  the  world's  output. 

CONDITIONS   OF   EMPLOYMENT 

The  census  figures  show  that  the  prevailing  hours  of  labor  in  the  brass  and 
bronze  business  were  54  to  60  hours  a  week  in  1910,  the  condition  obtaining 
in  Waterbury.  The  average  salaries  and  wages  paid  here  have  been  shown  to 
be  considerably  higher  than  for  the  average  manufacturing  industry.  Not  until 
the  relatively  unimportant  manufactures  of  the  Mountain  States  and  the  far  West 
are  reached  does  a  higher  wage  scale  prevail.  The  higher  wages  paid  in  a  few 
large  cities  to  balance  higher  living  expenses,  and  the  competition  of  new  indus- 
tries, like  the  automobile  manufacture,  tend  to  draw  mechanics  away  from  Water- 
bury, but  many  of  them  find  conditions  outside  less  to  their  liking  and  sooner  or 
later  return.  And  there  is  a  constant  gravitation  of  ambitious  youths  here  to 
participate  in  the  benefits  of  learning  machine  and  metal  trades  in  one  of  the 
best  training  schools  in  the  world.  Obviously  the  inflow  is  greater  than  the 
outflow. 

The  better  organization  of  manufacturers'  employment  offices  has  been  a 
development  of  the  last  few  years,  and  particularly  of  the  busy  war  period.  The 
opening  in  1917  of  a  manufacturers'  employment  bureau  with  offices  in  Apothe- 
caries' Hall  Building-  is  a  still  further  refinement  of  the  old  haphazard  methods 
of  "hiring  and  firing,"  and  is  expected  to  reduce  the  waste  involved  in  the  frequent 
turn-over  of  labor. 

The  State  Free  Employment  Bureau  has  been  in  operation  sixteen  years. 
During  the  greater  part  of  that  period,  the  Waterbury  office  has  been  extending 


188  WATERBURY  AXD.  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

its  usefulness,  which  extends  only  in  part  to  securing  employment  in  factories. 
In  191 5  situations  were  secured  for  1,568  people;  in  1916  work  was  found  for 
1,409.  Of  these  910  were  females,  652  males,  in  191 5,  and  in  1916,  842  were 
females  and  567  were  males. 

* 

SEX    OF    WAGE   EARNERS 

In  manufacturing  industries  requiring  physical  strength  and  a  high  degree  of 
skill  males  are  the  largest  proportion  of  workers,  while  the  proportion  of  women 
and  children  is  largest  in  the  industries  requiring  dexterity  rather  than  strength. 
There  is  enough  of  the  lighter  forms  of  employment  in  Waterbury  factories  to 
furnish  suitable  employment  for  thousands  of  women.  For  all  manufacturing 
industries  in  the  United  States  in  1910  the  proportion  of  workers  was  as  follows: 
Males  of  16  years  or  over,  78  per  cent;  females  16  years  or  over,  19.5  per  cent; 
children  under  16,  2.5  per  cent. 

For  Waterbury's  20,170  workers  the  proportions  were:  Males,  15,088,  or 
74.8  per  cent ;  females,  4,648,  or  23  per  cent ;  children,  434,  or  2.2  per  cent.  The 
proportion  of  females  was  slightly  larger  and  the  proportion  of  children  slightly 
lower  than  the  general  manufacturing  average.  This  has  been  the  general  condi- 
tion for  many  years  and  still  obtained  in  1914. 

The  employment  of  women  in  the  munition  trade  in  Waterbury  has  grown 
during  the  past  three  years  until  now  it  is  estimated  at  as  high  as  35  or  40  per 
cent  in  some  establishments. 

In  1914-15,  in  addition  to  the  regular  munition  factories  in  the  state,  others 
which  had  been  working  in  metal  products  turned  to  the  manufacture  of  firearms, 
ammunition  and  parts  thereof.  Apparently  scores  sprung  up  over  night  to  enter 
an  industry  which  seemed  to  offer  the  most  abundant  and  quick  returns.  The 
swift  and  nimble  fingers  and  adaptability  of  women  caused  them  to  be  employed 
in  great  numbers.  The  high  wages  offered  and  the  general  search  for  labor  led  to 
the  diversion  of  young  women  from  other  occupations,  particularly  domestic 
service.  In  much  of  the  work,  no  special  qualifications  beyond  skill  in  manipula- 
tion was  required,  the  skilled  men  being  placed  where  tools  were  made  and  the 
more  delicate  mechanism  was  constructed,  the  unskilled  filling  the  benches.  Hun- 
dreds of  foreign  born  women  who  had  never  been  employed  in  any  such  labor 
were  soon  made  passably  efficient  through  instruction.  Many  other  industries 
lost  their  workers.  It  was  difficult  to  obtain  women  to  do  work  which  a  few 
months  before  they  were  clamoring  to  obtain. 

The  State  Bureau  of  Labor  in  its  report  for  1916  says  of  this  development : 

"A  visit  to  the  various  munition  factories  shows  the  responsible  positions  are 
filled  by  women  who  have  been  there  some  time,  by  newcomers  who  have  superior 
intelligence,  and  by  those  who  are  being  constantly  promoted  from  the  lower 
grades  of  the  work.  An  unceasing  vigilance  is  exercised  over  the  choice  of  the 
proper  sort  of  workers  for  the  task  upon  which  they  are  to  be  engaged,  as  the 
least  mistake  in  this  way  would  be  productive  of  far-reaching  disaster.  In  the 
less  unskilled  and  almost  perfunctory  routine  work  there  are  fully  fifty-seven 
varieties  of  foreigners,  nationalities  that  are  not  found  to  any  great  extent  in 
other  industries  being  represented  here:  Russniak  (Ruthenian),  Bohemian, 
Moravian,  Albanian,  Finnish,  Magyar,  Slovak,  Bulgarian,  Servian,  Spanish, 
Montenegrin,  Croatian  and  Slavonian.  The  Lithuanians  and  Roumanians  have 
been  present  in  large  numbers  for  some  time." 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  189 

I  1 1  I     \Y<  IB  K  M  EN  'S   COMPENSATION    LAW 

On  October  i,  1913,  the  compensation  commissioners  of  the  state  assumed 
office  and  put  into  operation  the  new  workmen's  compensation  law.  The  board 
now  comprises:  Frederic  M.  Williams,  Fifth  District  (Waterbury),  chairman; 
George  li.  Chandler,  First  District;  James  J.  Donahue,  Second  District;  George 
E.  Beers,  Third  District ;  Edward  T.  Buckingham,  Fourth  District. 

According  to  the  law  certain  legal  compensation  is  due  an  injured  workman 
for  all  loss  of  time  after  ten  days  from  date  of  accident,  and  for  the  loss  of  the 
use  of  certain  parts  of  the  body,  as  eye,  finger,  arm  or  leg. 

Accidents  which  keep  an  employe  from  work  for  one  day  or  more  are  reported 
to  the  compensation  commissioner  for  the  district.  If  the  accident  is  so  serious 
that  the  waiting  period  of  ten  days  elapses,  the  employe  is  entitled  to  compensation 
under  the  state  law,  provided  the  injury  has  not  been  due  to  serious  negligence 
or  wilful  misconduct.  Except  in  cases  of  this  latter  sort,  an  agreement  may 
then  be  entered  into  between  the  company  and  the  employe,  according  to  pro- 
visions of  the  law,  without  any  formal  claim  being  put  in.  The  agreement  must 
be  filed  with  the  commissioner.  In  the  failure  of  such  an  agreement,  the  matter 
is  taken  up  with  the  commissioner  sitting  as  a  court.  Sympathy,  patience  and 
common  sense  are  requisites  in  settling  satisfactorily  the  questions  that  arise 
out  of  these  compensation  cases,  and  in  the  larger  factories  of  Waterbury  the 
force  in  charge  of  this  service  is  selected  and  carefully  trained. 

The  following  figures  for  the  entire  state  summarize  the  work  of  the  com- 
mission from  its  inception  to  January  1,  1917: 

1914  1915  1916 

Accidents  reported 18,054  37,070  4f)>935 

Voluntary  agreements 3-444  7A4-8  9>75D 

Cost  to  self  insurers : 

For  compensation    $  49,685.58     $101,812.10     $    202,483.48 

For  medical  service 36,866.15         67,899.57  177,328.24 

Cost  to  insurance  companies  for  compen- 
sation and  medical  service 396,684.30       605,455.66  939,620.63 

Total   for  compensation  and  medical 

service    $483,236.03     $775,167.33     $1,319,432.35 

The  number  of  voluntary  agreements  is  growing  yearly.  In  most  cases  this 
-'Vilifies  that  the  terms  of  the  act  were  amicably  complied  with  by  the  parties 
without  delay.  Such  settlements  are  usually  effected  through  an  "adjuster"  or 
claim  agent.  In  the  case  of  self-insurers  this  is  some  official  of  the  company  or 
iv>ponsible  employe,  and  in  the  case  of  insurance  companies  some  young  attorney 
o.r  other  competent  person  who  has  worked  into  the  post  from  a  clerical  position. 
If  the  accident  occurs  in  the  plant  of  a  self-insurer  it  is  promptly  made  known 
through  the  first  aid  department,  and  when  the  waiting  period  has  elapsed  an 
agreement  on  the  form  provided  by  the  commissioners  is  put  before  the  employe 
for  execution.  If  the  injured  employe  is  working  in  the  plant  of  an  insured 
employer,  the  insurer  is  notified  of  the  injury  on  the  form  provided  by  the 
insurer.  If  the  injury  is  one  promising  to  call  for  weekly  compensation,  the 
adjuster  makes  due  investigation  and,  if  the  claim  is  found  valid,  it  is  settled  in 
like  manner.  In  most  cases  settlement  is  effected  without  delay  or  misunder- 
>tanding.  Sometimes  the  employe  questions  the  accuracy  of  the  computation  of 
average   weekly  earnings  and  asks  to  have   it   verified.     In   other  instances  the 


190  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

employe  delays  until  he  can  consult  some  friend.  Not  infrequently  he  or  his 
friend  consults  the  commissioner  before  signing  the  agreement.  As  soon  as  the 
agreement  is  executed,  it  is  forwarded  to  the  commissioner  for  his  approval,  as  it 
does  not  become  effective  until  so  approved  and  duly  filed  with  the  clerk  of  the 
Superior  Court  for  the  county. 

FACTORY   CONSTRUCTION    FROM   JANUARY,    I9OO,   TO    NOVEMBER   3O,    1916 

The  following  record  of  factory  construction  in  Waterbury  is  from  the 
records  compiled  annually  since  1900  by  the  State  Bureau  of  Labor.  The  record 
is  here  classified  by  concerns,  the  names  of  which  are  given  as  they  existed  in 
the  years  in  which  the  buildings  were  constructed.  Thus  much  of  the  great 
building  work  done  by  the  American  Brass  Company  appears  largely  under  the 
names  of  its  branches.  A  few  of  the  corporations  and  firms  have  changed  names 
and  personnel,  but  the  record  of  construction  remains  as  the  best  evidence  of 
success  and  of  progress. 

INTERNATIONAL    SILVER    COMPANY    FACTORY    J 

Total 

1907-  8 — 2  buildings   $4,250 

1909-10 — 2  buildings    2,S°°         $6,75° 

PLUME  &  ATWOOD   MANUFACTURING   COMPANY 

1907-  8 — i  building $16,700 

191 1-12 — 2  buildings    21,000 

1913-14 — 2  buildings    3, 700 

1915-16 — 1  building   30,000       $71,400 

SHOE    HARDWARE    COMPANY 

1900      — I  building $25,000 

1907-  8 — 2  buildings    26,500 

1909-TO — 1  building 8,000 

i<;ii-I2 — 2  buildings    55,000     $114,500 

WATERBURY  CASTINGS  COMPANY 

1  <)07-  8 — 3  buildings    $23,000 

1915-16 — 1  building   3,ooo       $26,000 

B.   H.  FRY   &   CO. 

1904      — 1  building  .  . $2,000 

F.    H.    KALBFLEISCH    &   CO. 

1904        -i  building   $15,000 

1  005       — 1  building   2,000 

1907-  8 — 1  building  5,000 

1909-10 — 2  buildings    5,5°° 

1913-14 — 1  building 7,S°° 

1915-16 — 1  building  9,500       $44,500 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY      191 

MANUFACTURERS   FOUNDRY   COMPANY 

1904      — 2  buildings    $19,500 

1906      — 2  buildings   5,ooo 

1907-  8 — 4  buildings   26,000 

1909-10--1  building   7,S°° 

191 1-12 — 1  building   500 

1913-14 — 4  buildings    13,000 

1915-16 — 1  building   3,000       $74,500 

E.  J.   MANVILLE  MACHINE  COMPANY 

1904      — 5  buildings    $62,000 

KJ09-10 — 3  buildings    2,500 

1913-14 — 1  building  20,000       $84,500 

ROWBOTTOM    MACHINE   COMPANY 

1904      — i   building   $4,500 

1906      — 2  buildings    4,200 

1911-12 — 1  building   1,500 

191 5-16 — 1  building  16,000       $26,200 

AMERICAN  PIN  COMPANY 

1901  — i  building $25,000 

1902  — 1  building   27,000 

1903  — 1  building  15,000 

1904  — I  building   12,000 

I9°5      — l  building   21,000 

1906      — 2  buildings   62,000 

1908     — 1  building    5,000 

1909-10 — 2  buildings    1,000 

1913-14— 4  buildings    76,500 

[915-16 — 1  building  27,000     $271,500 

BERBECKER   &  ROWLAND   MFG.    COMPANY 

1901       — I  building   $10,000 

[905       — 2  buildings    7,000 

1907-  8 — 2  buildings 8,500 

1909-10 — 2  buildings    18,000 

1911-12 — 4  buildings    11,300 

1913-14 — 2  buildings    15,000       $69,800 

WATERBURY  FARREL  FOUNDRY  &  MACHINE  COMPANY 

190 1  — 1   building  $50,000 

1902  — 1  building   70,000 

1904  — 1  building   8,000 

1905  —2  buildings    38.500 


192  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

1906      — 2  buildings    20,000 

1907-  8 — 1  building   16,000 

191 1-12 — 1  building   10,000 

1913-14 — 1  building   22,000 

1915-16— 3  buildings    105,000     $339,500 

WATERBURY   BATTERY    COMPANY 

1904      — i  building   $5, 500 

1909-10 — 1  building   12,500 

191 3-14 — 1   building    2,600       $20,600 

WATERBURY  BRASS  COMPANY 

J9°3      — 3  buildings   $90,000 

1904  — 1  building  75,o°° 

1905  — 2  buildings    16,800 

1907-  8 — 8  buildings    121,500 

1909-10 — 3  buildings   5,oco 

191 1-12 — 5  buildings    77,000 

1913-14 — 2  buildings   4,500 

1915-16 — -14  buildings    200,000     $589,800 

WATERBURY   CUTLERY  COMPANY 

I9°3      — :  building  $1,000 

WATERBURY    MACHINE  COMPANY 

I9°3      — 2  buildings   $7,000 

1907-  8 — 2  buildings    7,000 

1909-10 — 1  building   15,000       $29,000 

AMERICAN  MILLS  COMPANY 

1904      — I  building $4,000 

1907-  8 — 1   building   500 

1909-1O' — 2  buildings    47, 500       $52,000 

WATERBURY    CLOCK    COMPANY 

1900      — 3  buildings   $41,000 

1903  — 1  building   5,820 

1904  — 5  buildings    87,500 

1906  —2  buildings   4,000 

1907-  8 — 1  building  35>o°o 

1913-14 — 1  building  55,ooo 

191 5- 16 — 1  building   14,000     $242,320 


WATERBURY  AXD  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY      193 

WATERBURY   MFG.   CO. 

1900      — 2  buildings    $3,000 

1904     — 1  building   55,ooo 

]9°5      — J  building  7,000 

1909-10 — 4  buildings    104,000 

1915-16 — 7  buildings    393,000     $562,000 

BENEDICT  &  BURNHAM  MFG.  CO. 

1900      — I  building   $15,000 

1902      — 4  buildings    40,000 

1904  — 1  building 10,000 

1905  — 1  building   2,500 

1907-  8 — 1  building   10,000 

191 1-12 — 1   building 70,000 

1913-14 — 1   building   65,000 

1915-16— 21  buildings    ■ 525>°o°    $737>50o 

O'NEIL  &  WARNER 

1900      — 2  buildings    $2,000 

PLATT   BROTHERS    &    COMPANY 

1900      — i  building $1,000 

I9°3      — l  building 25,ooo 

1907-  8 — 1  building 1,600       $27,600 

STEELE  &   JOHNSON   MFG.   COMPANY 

1900      — 2  buildings    $5,ooo 

1907-  8 — 3  buildings    20,200 

1909-10 — 1  building   25,000 

191 1-12 — 2  buildings    16,500       $66,700 

CHASE  ROLLING  MILL  COMPANY 

1902      — 2  buildings $42,000 

I9°3      — l  building  3,000 

1906  — 3  buildings    5, 200 

1907-  8 — 9  buildings    46,500 

1909-10 — 6  buildings   46,500 

1913-14 — 2  buildings   4,500 

1915-16 — 21  buildings    750,000     $897,700 

WATERVILLE   CORPORATION    ( CHASE   METAL  WORKS) 

1911-12 — 2  buildings    $73,500 

1913-T4 — 8  buildings    149,000     $222,500 

Vol.  1—13 


194  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

NEW   ENGLAND  WATCH   COMPANY 

1902      — 3  buildings    $8,000 

SCOVILL    MFG.    COMPANY 

1901       — 5  buildings   $    128,000 

1904  — 1   building 27,000 

1905  — 5  buildings 1 19,200 

1906  — I  building 2,000 

1907-  8 — 6  buildings 48,000 

1909-10 — 13  buildings 103,550 

191 1-12 — 1  building 2,500 

191 3-14 — 7  buildings 69,000 

1915-16 — 24  buildings    1,025,000  $1,544,250 

A.   H.  WELLS  &  COMPANY 

1904  — I  building   $8,000 

1907-  8 — 2  buildings   7,5°° 

1909-10 — 1  building   9,000 

1911-12 — 2  buildings    1 1,500 

1913-14 — 1  building   1,700 

1915-16 — 2  buildings    35,ooo      $72,700 

THE   BRISTOL   COMPANY 

1905  — I  building   $10,000 

1907-  8 — 1  building   30,000 

1909-10 — 1  building   18,500 

191 1-12 — 2  buildings    5,300 

1913-14 — 1  building   31,000 

191 5-16 — 1  building  : 50,000    $144,800 

HOLMES,  BOOTH   &  HAYDENS  COMPANY 

x9°5      — l  building  $6,000 

MATTATUCK  MFG.  COMPANY 

IQ05      — I  building   $      500 

1907-  8 — 2  buildings   7,75° 

1909-10 — 4  buildings 2,500 

1911-12 — 1  building   1,500 

1913-14— I  building 2,500       $14,750 

RANDOLPH   &  CLOWES  COMPANY 

1905  — i  building $4,500 

1906  — 2  buildings   7,7O0 

1907-  8 — 2  buildings   20,000 

1909-10 — 1  building   2,000       $34,200 


WAXKKliKRY   AND  XI  IK  XAl'CAXUCK  VALLEY  195 

J.  E.   SMITH    &  CO. 

I9°5      — :  building   $20,000 

WATKRIU'RV    BUTTON    COMPANY 

19°5      — 2  buildings   $15,500 

1906      — 1  building   3,ooo 

1909-10 — 1   building   18,000 

1915-16 — I  building   60,000       $96,500 

WATERBURY    CRUCIBLE   COMPANY 

1905      — I   building   $6,000 

WATERBURY   PAPER    BOX    MFG.    COMPANY 

1905      — I  building  $28,000 

1913-14 — 1  building   10,500       $38,500 

HEMINWAY    &   BARLETT   SILK   COMPANY 
M.   HEMINWAY  &  SONS  SILK   COMPANY 

I9°5      — 2  buildings   $7,000 

191 1-12 — 2  buildings    8,500 

1 91 3- 14 — 4  buildings   74,ooo 

191 5-16 — 1  building   5,000       $94,500 

THE  OAKVILLE  COMPANY 

1905  — 2  buildings    $20,200 

1907-  8 — 2  buildings   40,000 

1909-10 — 1   building 50,000 

191 1-12 — 2  buildings   4,S°°    %l  i-4>70° 

AMERICAN   RING  COMPANY 

1906  — I  building   $17,500 

1909-10 — 1  building   750       $18,250 

FRENCH    MFG.    COMPANY 

1906      — 2  buildings   $5,ooo 

1907-  8 — 1  building 800 

1909-10 — 1  building   6,000 

1911-12 — 2  buildings    8,500 

1913-14 — 2  buildings    31,000       $51,300 

THOMAS  F.  JACKSON 

1906      — i  building   $15,000 


196  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

ROGERS  &  BROS. 

1906      — i  building   $4,000 

SMITH  &  GRIGGS  COMPANY 

1906      — 2  buildings    $10,000 

WATERBURY   MACHINE  COMPANY 

1907-  8 — 2  buildings    $7,000 

1909-10 — 1   building 15,000       $22,000 

WATERBURY  ROLLING  MILLS  COMPANY 

1907-  8 — 4  buildings    $20,000 

1909-10 — 3  buildings    22,500 

1915-16 — 2  buildings    20,000       $62,500 

BAIRD  MACHINE  COMPANY 

1907-  8 — 1  building  $4,500 

AMERICAN   FASTENER  COMPANY 

1915-16— I  building $8,500 

EASTERN  BRASS  &  INGOT  COMPANY 

1915-16 — I  building  $60,000 

PILLING  BRASS  COMPANY 

1913-14 — I  building   $7,000 

1915-16—  1  building  7,957      $14,957 

WATERBURY  BRASS  GOODS  CORPORATION 

1909- to — 3  buildings    $5, 500 

191 1-12 — 2  buildings    12,500       $18,000 

GEORGE    HARTLEY 

1915-16 — i  building  $2,000 

NOERA  MFG.   COMPANY 

T9T1-T2 — 1  building $2,500 

1915-16 — 1  building   4,000         $6,500 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  197 

STANDARD    ENGINEERING  COMPANY 
1915-16 — i  building $7,500 

WATERBURY   BRASS  &  BRONZE  COMPANY 
1915-16 — I   building   $10,000 

WATERBURY  TOOL  COMPANY 

1915-16 — i  building $56,000 

METAL  SPECIALTY   MFG.   COMPANY 

191 5-16 — 1   building   $25,000 

NATIONAL  COMPANY 

1913-14 — 1  building   $8,500 

1915-16 — 2  buildings    30,000       $38,500 

ANDREW  C.  CAMPBELL,  INC. 

1913-14 — 1  building  $16,000 

1915-16 — 1  building   8,000       $24,003 

BLAKE   &   JOHNSON    COMPANY 

1909-10 — 2  buildings    $150,000 

1913-14 — 1  building 4,500 

1915-16 — 1  building 5,ooo     $159,500 

AMERICAN  BRASS  COMPANY 

1913-14— 5  buildings   $i55.o°o 

GENERAL    MFG.    COMPANY 

191 1-12 — 1  building   $      750 

1913-14 — I  building   8,000         $8,750 

WATERBURY  BUCKLE  COMPANY 

1913-14 — 1   building $28,000 

WEBSTER  &  BRIGGMAN 

191 3-14 — i  building  $5,ooo 


198  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

JAMES  F.  GAFFNEY 

1909-10 — I  building $8,000 

MATTHEWS  &  WILLARD  MFG.  COMPANY 

1909-10 — i  building   $500 

GEORGE   PANNETON 

1909-10 — i  building   $10,000 

G.  G.   RIGGS 

1909-10 — 1   building   $13,500 

WATERBURY  LUMBER  &  COAL  COMPANY 

1909      — 1  building   $15,000 

ROBERT    WILMOT 

1911-12 — 1   building   $1,500 

WATERBURY  FOUNDRY  COMPANY 

1911-12 — 1  building   $700 

WATERBURY  WELDING  COMPANY 

1911-12 — i  building   $800 


CHAPTER  XVI 
THE  LARGER  BRASS  COMPANIES 

THE    CHARTER    OF     1893 NEW     CONSOLIDATION     PERFECTED ITS     FIRST     BOARD    OF 

DIRECTORS CHANGES    TO    AN    OPERATING    COMPANY PURCHASES    THE    BUFFALO 

PLANT ITS   BUILDINGS    IN    WATERBURY,   TORRINGTON,    ANSONIA,    KENOSHA    AND 

BUFFALO NEW     CONSTRUCTION EARNINGS    OF    THE     COMPANY ITS     BALANCE 

SHEET     FOR     1916 THE     EMPLOYMENT     BUREAU ITS     HOUSING     PLANS TESTI- 
MONIAL TO  ITS  PRESIDENT,  CHARLES  F.  BROOKER SKETCH   OF  HIS  CAREER THE 

SCOVILL    COMPANY ITS    PHYSICAL    GROWTH ITS    NEW    BUILDINGS ENORMOUS 

EARNINGS OFFICERS   OF   THE    PAST    QUARTER   CENTURY EMPLOYMENT    BUREAU 

ITS   HOSPITALS. 

After  1870  the  organization  of  existing  corporations  in  the  brass  industry  into 
one  or  possibly  two  combinations  was  a  source  of  constant  and  most  careful  con- 
sideration. Pools  to  regulate  and  apportion  production  were  formed  from  time 
to  time  but  broke  up  regularly.  So  in  1891  and  in  1892  the  heads  of  several  of 
the  largest  concerns  doing  business  in  the  Naugatuck  Valley  met  and  discussed 
values,  economies,  and  finally  agreed  upon  a  tentative  plan  of  combining  interests. 

On  Tune  7,  1893,  a  special  charter  was  obtained  for  a  combination  of  the  Coe 
Brass  Manufacturing  Company,  of  Torrington,  the  Scovill  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, the  Benedict  &  Burnham  Manufacturing  Company,  the  Waterbury  Brass 
Company,  Holmes,  Booth  &  Haydens  and  the  Plume  &  Atwood  Manufacturing 
Company.  This  included,  therefore,  all  of  the  Waterbury  rolling  mills  except 
Randolph  &  Clowes,  and  excluded  in  Ansonia  the  Ansonia  Brass  &  Copper  Com- 
pany. The  steps  in  this  proposed  consolidation  were  by  no  means  harmonious 
and  the  Scovill  Manufacturing  Co.  elected  to  preserve  its  identity. 

It  was  not  until  December  14,  1899,  that  the  American  Brass  Company  was 
formed  by  the  Coe  Brass  Company,  the  Waterbury  Brass  Company,  and  the  An- 
sonia Brass  &  Copper  Company.  This  had  been  preceded  in  1896  by  the  transfer 
of  the  Wallace  plant  in  Ansonia  to  the  Coe  Brass  Company.  It  will  be  seen  that 
the  earlier  tentative  combination  had  been  given  up,  the  differences  in  views  and 
to  some  extent  in  physical  interests,  being  practically  irreconcilable. 

Its  first  officers  were:  Charles  F.  Brooker,  president;  A.  A.  Cowles,  first  vice- 
president;  James  S.  Elton,  second  vice  president;  John  P.  Elton,  secretary  and 
treasurer.     Its  capital  was  $10,000,000. 

The  first  board  of  directors  was  as  follows:  Charles  F.  Brooker,  Ansonia; 
Alfred  A.  Cowles,  New  York;  James  S.  Elton,  Waterbury;  D.  Willis  James,  New 
York;  Chandler  X.  Wayland,  New  York;  Elisha  Turner,  Torrington;  William 
E.  Dodge.  New  York  ;  James  A.  Doughty,  Torrington;  John  P.  Elton,  Waterbury. 

In  1901  the  stockholders  of  the  Holmes  Booth  &  Haydens  Company  changed 
their  holdings  at  25  per  cent  premium  for  stock  of  the  American  Brass  Company, 
the  American  Brass  Company  thus  becoming  the  owner  of  the  Holmes  Booth  & 
Haydens   Company. 

199 


200  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

On  November  i,  1905,  the  entire  property  of  the  Holmes  Booth  &  Hay  dens 
Company  of  whatever  nature  was  sold  to  the  Benedict  &  Burnham  Mfg.  Company 
for  10,000  shares,  par  value  $25  each  of  Benedict  &  Burnham  Mfg.  Company 
stock  at  a  ratio  of  five  to  one,  or  $1,250,000.  The  Holmes  Booth  &  Haydens  office 
was  then  given  up. 

In  1904  the  officers  of  the  Holmes  Booth  &  Haydens  Company  were:  T.  B. 
Kent,  president  and  treasurer;  E.  L.  Frisbie,  Jr.,  vice  president;  A.  M.  Dickinson, 
assistant  treasurer;  G.  H.  Benham,  secretary. 

The  officers  of  the  Benedict  &  Burnham  Mfg.  Company  at  the  time  of  the 
consolidation  were :  President  and  treasurer,  Edward  L.  Frisbie,  Jr. ;  assistant 
treasurer,  G.  W.  Burnham;  secretary,  A.  M.  Dickinson. 

The  officers  of  the  Waterbury  Brass  Co.  at  the  time  of  the  consolidation  were : 
President,  James  S.  Elton;  vice  president,  Charles  F.  Brooker;  treasurer,  John 
P.  Elton;  secretary,  G.  C.  Hill. 

In  1909  Wm.  G.  Lathrop  in  his  valuable  book,  "The  Brass  Industry,"  said  of 
the  new  company:  "The  American  Brass  Company  is  today  the  largest  and  most 
important  brass  making  and  handling  company  in  the  world.  It  makes  more  than 
two-thirds  of  all  the  brass  used  in  the  United  States,  besides  which  it  handles 
much  copper  and  various  alloys,  such  as  German  silver  and  many  mixtures,  the 
composition  of  which  is  regarded  as  a  trade  secret.  It  uses  approximately  one- 
third  of  all  the  copper  consumed  in  the  United  States,  and  is  the  largest  single 
user  of  copper  in  the  world.  About  one-half  of  its  output  proceeds  from  Ansonia, 
one-third  from  Waterbury,  and  the  remainder  from  Torrington.  With  the  excep- 
tion of  a  few  specialties  which  it  controls  by  patent  or  otherwise,  it  has  abandoned 
manufacturing.  The  tendency  is  towards  specialization  of  output,  each  plant 
being  used  more  largely  for  such  product  as  it  can  most  advantageously  produce." 

On  January  1,  1912,  the  American  Brass  Company  became  an  operating  com- 
pany, instead  of  a  holding  company.  Its  subsidiaries  of  the  period,  the  Ansonia 
Brass  &  Copper  Company,  the  Benedict  &  Burnham  Manufacturing  Co.,  and  the 
Waterbury  Brass  Company,  became  branches  known  by  the  name  of  the  old  cor- 
poration. Each  branch  from  this  time  on  had  its  own  accounts,  but  checks  were 
drawn  to  and  by  the  American  Brass  Company.  Besides  the  corporations  that 
were  thus  extinguished,  the  American  Brass  Company  controlled  the  Chicago 
Brass  Company,  of  Kenosha,  Wis.,  the  Waterbury  Brass  Goods  Corporation,  and 
the  Ansonia  Land  &  Water  Power  Company.  Under  the  new  order  of  things, 
these  became  the  property  of  the  American  Brass  Company  through  stock 
ownership. 

The  new  company  was  now  the  strongest  single  factor  in  the  brass  industry  in 
America  and  further  strengthened  itself  by  the  purchase  of  the  Chicago  Brass 
Company. 

This  left  the  following  big  firms  in  this  vicinity  outside  the  combination : 
The  Chase  Rolling  Mill  (then  being  organized),  the  Scovill  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, the  Plume  &  Atwood  Manufacturing  Company,  the  Randolph  &  Clowes 
Company,  the  Bridgeport  Brass  Company,  the  Bristol  Company  and  the  Seymour 
Manufacturing  Company. 

The  company  had  first  been  capitalized  at  $10,000,000,  but  this  was  twice 
increased  before  January  1,  191 2,  by  $2,500,000,  so  that  the  capitalization  at  that 
time  was  $15,000,000. 

Under  the  new  arrangement  the  officers  remained  as  follows :  President, 
Charles  F.  Brooker;  vice  presidents,  Edward  L.  Frisbie,  Jr.,  A.  A.  Cowles,  James 
S.  Elton ;  treasurer,  John  P.  Elton ;  secretary,  Gordon  W.  Burnham.  The  other 
directors  were :    Thomas  B.  Kent,  J.  E.  Wayland,  E.  Holbrook,  Arthur  C.  James, 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY      201 

John  J.  Sinclair,  Cleveland  H.  Lodge,  James  A.  Doughty,  Adelbert  P.  lline,  T. 
Brownell  Burnham. 

In  June,  1917,  announcement  was  made  by  William  A.  Morgan,  president  and 
general  manager  of  the  Buffalo  Copper  and  Brass  Rolling  Mills,  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y., 
of  the  sale  of  the  company's  properties  to  the  American  Brass  Company.  At  a 
meeting  held  July  6,  1917,  this  sale  was  officially  ratified.  The  price  paid  was 
several  millions.  The  plant  is  one  of  the  largest  in  the  country,  employing  over 
five  thousand  men. 

In  1912  the  general  equipments  of  the  company,  which  have  been  so  vastly 
extended  in  the  past  three  years,  were  about  as  follows: 

In  Ansonia:  Casting  shop,  rolling  mill,  copper  rolling  mill,  rod  mill,  bar  and 
bolt  mill,  copper  mill,  wire  rod  mill,  refining  mill,  coarse  wire  mill,  cable  screw 
building,  wire-covering  mill. 

The  Benedict  &  Burnham  plant  had  a  casting  shop,  tube-casting  shop,  sheet 
metal  mill,  brass  wire  mill,  brass  rod  mill,  seamless  tube  mill,  brazed  tube  mill, 
rule  mill,  blanking  mill,  copper  wire  mill,  copper  rod  mill,  insulated  wire  mill, 
fastener  building. 

At  the  Chicago  Brass  Company  in  Kenosha  it  had  a  casting  shop,  sheet  metal 
mill,  seamless  tube  mill,  brazed  tube  mill,  press  room. 

At  the  Coe  Brass  Mfg.  Company,  Torrington,  it  had  a  casting  shop,  sheet  metal 
mill,  brass  wire  mill,  brass  rod  mill,  seamless  tube  mill,  brazed  tube  mill,  press 
room. 

At  the  Coe  plant  in  Ansonia  it  had  a  casting  plant,  sheet  metal  mill,  drawn 
copper  mill.  East  rod  mill,  West  rod  mill,  coarse  wire  mill,  fine  wire  mill,  rivet 
and  bur  extension  plant,  Rockwell  furnace  plant,  diamond  die  building  and 
machine  shop. 

At  the  Waterbury  Brass  Company  plant  there  were  a  casting  shop,  sheet  brass 
mill,  brass  wire  mill,  brass  rod  mill,  manufacturing  department  and  two  additional 
structures. 

In  all  there  were  seventy  mills. 

At  Torrington  among  the  new  structures  built  since  1914  are  a  rod  mill,  metal 
storage  building  and  a  power  plant. 

At  the  Waterbury  Brass  Branch  a  machine  shop,  in  addition  to  the  wire  mill, 
a  power  plant,  an  addition  to  the  casting  shop,  an  addition  to  the  rolling  mill  and 
a  metal  storage  building  have  been  put  up  since  19 14. 

At  the  Benedict  &  Burnham  branch  construction  since  1914  was  as  follows : 
Seamless  tube  mill,  manufacturing  packing  and  shipping  building,  carpenter  shop, 
an  addition  to  the  rolling  mill. 

In  addition  a  general  office  building  and  a  general  machine  shop  have  been 
built  in  Waterbury. 

At  Ansonia,  the  construction  since  1914  was  as  follows:  A  forging  shop,  an 
addition  to  the  extrusion  department,  an  addition  to  the  wire  mill,  a  shipping  and 
manufacturing  building,  a  casting  shop.  The  old  rolling  mill  was  rebuilt  and  an 
addition  to  the  metal  storage  building,  and  power  plant,  were  put  up  at  Ansonia. 

In  Kenosha,  Wis.,  the  company  built  an  office  building,  a  casting  shop,  a  metal 
storage  building,  a  lumber  storage  building,  an  addition  to  the  power  plant  and 
addition  to  nearly  all  the  other  mills. 

Some  conception  may  be  obtained  of  the  amount  invested  in  new  buildings 
and  plants  in  recent  years  from  the  figures  of  the  annual  reports.  In  1910  and 
hut.  the  company  deducted  $500,000  for  depreciation  for  each  of  these  years. 
In  19 10  the  value  of  the  real  estate,  machinery,  buildings,  and  actual  physical 
holdings,  outside  of  merchandise,  amounted  to  $9,203,298.  In  191 1 ,  with  the  large 
depreciation  against  it,  this  value  was  placed  at  $9,057,723. 


202 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 


In  1912,  with  the  usual  charge  for  depreciation,  the  physical  properties  were 
valued  at  $11,322,162.  The  figures  given  in  the  annual  report  supplement  this 
figure  with  the  following:  "Expended  for  permanent  improvements,  $760,926; 
less  charged  off  for  depreciation,  total  $11,533,088." 

In  1914  the  real  estate,  machinery,  etc.,  had  grown  in  value  to  $12,858,197. 

In  191 5  this  was  placed  at  $13,545,669,  and  in  1916  at  $13,640,869.  Allowing 
for  the  heavy  depreciation  it  will  be  noted  that  extensions  and  betterments  each 
year  for  the  past  five  years  have  gone  well  over  a  million  annually. 

In  1917  the  Buffalo  plant  was  added,  and  this  will,  of  course,  appear  in  added 
valuation  in  the  next  annual  report. 

In  the  matter  of  earnings,  the  annual  reports  as  printed  in  the  Financial  and 
Commercial  Chronicle  are  enlightening  on  the  progressiveness  of  the  men  back 
of  this  great  industry. 

In  1910  the  earnings  were  $1,887,006;  in  1911  these  were  $1,445,543;  in  1912, 
they  were  $2,274,338;  in  1913,  they  were  $1,917,605;  in  1914,  $1,450,347;  in 
1915,  $6,128,453;  in  1916,  $10,991,670.  The  dividends  paid  were  in  1910,  $1,069,- 
860,  7  per  cent;  in  1911,  $932,000,  6  per  cent;  in  1912,  $1,050,000,  7  per  cent; 
in  t 9 1 3 ,  $1,050,000,  7  per  cent;  in  1914,  $900,000,  6  per  cent;  in  1915,  $1,950,000, 
13  per  cent;  and  in  1916,  $3,750,000,  25  per  cent.  On  Jan.  25,  1917,  the  American 
Brass  Company  declared  an  extra  dividend  of  11  per  cent  and  the  usual  quarterly 
payment  of  1^2  per  cent  on  its  stock.  Similar  dividends  were  declared  quarterly 
until  October,  when  the  total  dividend  was  reduced  to  6  per  cent  quarterly  to 
conserve  the  company's  cash  in  view  of  the  heavy  war  taxes  impending. 

The  balance  sheet  for  1914,  1915  and  1916  follows: 

ASSETS 


1914 

Real  Estate,  Machinery,  etc $12,858,197 

Cash    2,017,501 

Bills  and  Accts.  Rec 3,336,518 

Woodlands   138,81 1 

Stocks  and  Bonds  Owned 1,644,250 

Patents    1 ,000 

Merchandise    6,624,905 

$26,621,182 


1915 

$i3,545,o69 

2,662,776 
6,126,557 

l57,711 
1,311,116 

1,000 

7,987,052 


1916 

$13,640,867 

6,213,914 

9,423,610 

184,638 

L343-021 
1,000 

10,118,515 


$31,791,281    $40,925,568 


LIABILITIES 


1914                              I915  I916 

Capital   Stock    $15,000,000         $15,000,000  $15,000,000 

Current  Accounts  Payable 2,021,631             2,013,276  :,9°5,893 

Reserved  for  Contingencies 1,000,000             2,000,000  4,000,000 

Surplus    7,149,204             6,649,551  9,028,005 

Net  Earnings  for  Year 1,450,347             6,128,454  10,991,670 

$26,621,182         $31,791,281  $40,925,568 

The  Iron  Age,  in  commenting  on  the  report  for  191 5,  said:    "The  net  divisible 

profits  for  191 5  represent  an  increase  of  322  per  cent  over  1914.  The  best  pre- 
vious year  was  191 2,  when  the  profits  amounted  to  $2,274,738." 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  203 

The  American  Brass  Company  has  not  confined  its  work  to  mere  money  mak- 
ing.    Its  "housing"  work  is  fully  covered  in  the  chapter  on  that  subject. 

On  June  20,  1914,  Miss  Xina  Keir.  a  "welfare  secretary,"  was  added  to  the  staff 
of  the  American  Brass  Company.  This  official  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  com- 
pany's emergency  or  first  aid  hospital  located  at  721  Hank  Street,  the  former 
Holmes,  Booth  &  llaydens  plant.  At  this  hospital  there  are  four  nurses  and 
attendants.  Miss  Keir  also  has  charge  of  similar  hospitals  at  the  company's 
Torrington  and  Ansonia  plants. 

The  hospitals  are  solely  for  emergency  work  and  are  not  in  any  way  designed 
to  take  the  place  of  physicians. 

At  these  hospitals  one  of  the  most  important  duties  is  the  care  of  cases  of 
"spelter  shake"  or  "brass  founder's  ague."  This  is  caused  by  the  inhalation  of 
metal  fumes,  and  as  a  rule  attacks  a  newcomer  in  the  mills  after  the  first  few  days 
of  work.  It  has  all  the  symptoms  of  ague  and  cramps.  It  is  never  fatal,  and  is 
temporarily  cured  by  the  use  of  Jamaica  ginger.  The  effort  of  the  company,  how- 
ever, is  now  entirely  devoted  to  prevention  of  the  disease  by  improvements  in 
metal  working  methods.  In  1913  the  Connecticut  Legislature  passed  an  act  com- 
pelling physicians  to  report  immediately  attacks  of  all  kinds  of  occupational  dis- 
eases, including  this. 

In  December,  191 3.  the  new  office  building  of  the  American  Brass  Company, 
opposite  the  Union  Station,  was  opened.  The  main  entrance  has  a  handsome  set 
of  brass  and  glass  doors,  the  brass  being  an  exemplary  work  of  the  artistic  side  of 
brass  manufacture.  A  marble  stairway  leads  to  the  long  entresol  or  lobby,  which 
extends  nearly  the  full  length  of  the  building.  The  executive  offices  and  private 
offices  of  the  company  officials  are  on  the  first  floor.  The  general  offices  and  tele- 
phone exchange  are  en  the  second  floor.  The  exchange  connects  1,600  telephones 
in  the  various  plants  of  the  company  throughout  the  state,  and  is  one  of  the 
largest  private  exchanges  in  Connecticut. 

There  are  five  drafting  rooms,  a  library,  and  eighteen  office  rooms  for 
employes  on  the  third  floor.  The  basement  contains  a  garage,  a  large  storage 
room,  and  an  excellent  heating  plant. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  American  Brass  Company  Feb.  6,  1917,  the  resig- 
nation of  George  E.  Cole,  as  assistant  treasurer  and  auditor  was  reluctantly 
accepted.  He  had  been  with  the  Coe  Company  at  Torrington  and  with  the  Ameri- 
can Brass  Company  for  twenty-five  years. 

At  this  meeting  in  February,  191 7,  the  following  vice  presidents  were  placed 
in  charge  of  the  various  companies  :  F.  L.  Bramer,  Coe  Brass  branch,  Torrington ; 
H.  M.  Steele,  Waterbury  Brass  branch ;  A.  M.  Dickinson,  Benedict  &  Burnham 
branch;  Wm.  A.  Cowles,  Ansonia  branches;  Arthur  S.  Brown,  Ansonia  branches; 
George  H.  Allen,  Kenosha  (Wis.)  branch;  F.  M.  Wills,  Buffalo  branch. 

The  officers  of  the  company  are  as  follows:  President,  Charles  F.  Brooker; 
vice  presidents,  Edward  L.  Frisbie,  John  P.  Elton,  Thomas  B.  Kent  and  John  A. 
Coe,  Jr. ;  treasurer,  John  P.  Elton ;  assistant  treasurer,  C.  F.  Hollister ;  secretary, 
Gordon  \V.  Burnham;  assistant  secretary,  Franklin  E.  Weaver. 

The  present  directors  of  the  American  Brass  Company  are:  Charles  F. 
Brooker,  Ansonia;  Edward  L.  Frisbie,  James  S.  Elton,  John  P.  Elton,  John  A. 
Coe,  Jr.,  all  of  Waterbury ;  Arthur  C.  James,  Gordon  W.  Burnham,  Edward 
Holbrook,  Cleveland  H.  Dodge,  Thomas  B.  Kent,  John  E.  Wayland,  all  of  New 
York;  James  A.  Doughty,  of  Torrington;  T.  Brownell  Burnham  of  Sussex, 
England. 

In  its  dealings  with  its  15,000  employes,  the  American  Brass  Company  has 
been  exceptionally   fortunate.      During  these  crucial   years   it   has   had   but   one 


204  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

serious  interference  with  business.  This  was  on  Feb.  17,  191 6,  when  the  Ansonia 
employes  struck.  On  Feb.  20  the  strike  was  settled  at  a  slight  increase  over  the 
original  offer  of  the  company.  It  increased  wages  15  per  cent,  allowed  time  and 
a  half  for  overtime,  and  a  half  holiday  Saturday  with  full  pay. 

On  Sept.  10,  1915,  there  was  also  a  voluntary  increase  by  the  company  of  10 
per  cent  in  wages. 

In  April,  19 14,  the  Copper  Producers'  Association  of  America  celebrated  by 
a  banquet  at  Sherry's  in  New  York  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  Charles  F. 
Brooker's  connection  with  the  brass  business  of  this  country.  Tbe  leading  men 
in  the  industry  were  present  at  this  testimonial  and  the  tributes  that  were  paid 
this  pioneer  of  the  brass  industry  were  many  and  deserved. 

Charles  Frederick  Brooker,  the  president  of  the  American  Brass  Company, 
was  born  March  4,  1847,  in  Litchfield,  Conn.  His  family  has  its  American  origin 
in  Guilford,  where  John  Brooker,  an  Englishman,  located  in  1695.  Two  gen- 
erations later  Abraham  Brooker,  Jr.,  his  father,  removed  to  Wolcottville,  now 
Torrington. 

At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  became  bookkeeper  for  the  Coe  Brass  Company, 
of  Torrington,  becoming  secretary  in  1870.  On  the  death  of  Lyman  W.  Coe,  his 
uncle,  in  1893,  Mr.  Brooker  succeeded  him  as  president  of  the  Coe  Brass  Company 
of  Torrington. 

When  the  American  Brass  Company  was  formed,  he  was  elected  its  first  presi- 
dent. Both  in  Torrington  and  Ansonia  he  held  many  important  positions  on  the 
directorates  of  many  banking,  water,  and  manufacturing  companies.  He  was  for 
years  a  director  of  the  New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Company.  In  New 
York  City  he  is  a  member  of  the  Union  League  Club,  the  New  England  Society 
of  New  York,  the  New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  New  York  Yacht  Club, 
the  Engineer's  Club,  the  Lawyers'  Club  and  the  Transportation  Club. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Connecticut  Assembly  in  1875  and  of  the  State 
Senate,  in  1893.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Republican  State  Central  Committee 
for  years,  also  a  member  of  the  National  Republican  Committee. 

Mr.  Brooker,  since  his  marriage  to  Mrs.  Julia  E.  Clark  Farrell  in  London 
some  years  ago,  has  made  his  residence  in  Ansonia. 

In  191 1  the  Government  proceeded  against  the  individual  directors,  who  had 
formed  what  was  termed  the  copper  wire  pool.  This  had  been  dissolved  several 
years  before,  in  fact  as  soon  as  it  was  found  that  it  was  in  contravention  of  the 
Sherman  anti-trust  law. 

Pleas  of  nolo  contendere  were  entered  and  a  fine  of  $1,100  was  assessed 
against  each  of  the  offending  directors  Aug.  4,  191 1. 

THE    SCOVILL    MANUFACTURING    COMPANY 

The  Scovill  Manufacturing  Company  of  Waterbury  is  today  the  largest  single 
brass-making  and  brass-fabricating  plant  in  the  United  States,  and  if  not  the 
largest  in  the  world  at  least  well  at  the  top  in  that  class.  It  employed  in  Decem- 
ber, 1917,  between  13,000  and  14,000  hands.  Its  employment  record  speaks  elo- 
quently of  its  remarkable  growth: 

Years  Number  of  Employes 

1850 190 

i860 193 

1870 538 

1880 399 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY      205 

Years  Number  of  Employes 

[890 1,200 

1900 2,000 

1910 4,000 

i9J4 7-500 

I91/ I3-50O 

As -a  corporation  it  began  business  in  1850  with  a  plant  which  had  80  horse- 
power. This  in  1893  had  grown  to  1,400  horsepower,  and  in  1902  to  2,250. 
Today  one  new  power  house,  that  constructed  in  19 16,  the  first  of  several  pro- 
posed units,  has  a  capacity  of  8,000  kilowatts.  Its  water,  steam  and  electric  power 
is  so  enormous  today  that  it  literally  drives  miles  of  machinery. 

In  1902  when  it  celebrated  the  100th  anniversary  of  its  existence  as  a  going 
business — it  was  not  incorporated  as  the  Scovill  Manufacturing  Company  until 
1850 — its  plant,  then  already  great,  was  confined  aside  from  its  North  Elm  and 
Maple  Street  buildings  well  within  the  area  bounded  by  Baldwin,  Mill,  East 
Main,  Hamilton  Avenue  and  Bridge  streets.  Within  these  limits  it  actually  util- 
ized less  than  half  the  ground,  the  earliest  constructed  buildings  being  those  along 
the  Mad  River.  Today  it  extends  from  the  junction  of  Mill  and  East  Main  streets 
to  the  point  where  the  Mad  River  strikes  Silver  Street,  a  length  of  over  4,800  feet. 
Over  this  stretch  of  nearly  a  mile  and  in  the  territory  lying  between  Bridge  Street 
and  Hamilton  Avenue  and  East  Main  Street  it  has  erected  more  than  three  hun- 
dred buildings,  including  its  extensions  and  its  rebuilt  structures. 

Erom  1850  to  1902,  a  period  of  fifty-two  years,  the  Scovill  Manufacturing 
Company  paid  cash  dividends  amounting  to  $3,613,986.15,  and  in  stock  dividends, 
$1,980,281.25,  a  total  of  $5,594,267.40,  for  this  period  of  over  half  a  century. 

In  1916  with  a  capitalization  of  $5,000,000,  the  Scovill  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany paid  dividends  amounting  to  $11 1  a  share,  the  total  payments  being  almost 
as  great  as  in  its  first  fifty-two  years.  Its  net  earnings  for  1916  amounted  to 
$13,403,462,  equal  to  $268  a  share  on  outstanding  stock.  Besides  accumulating 
this  extraordinary  profit,  the  company  spent  out  of  earnings  $3,654,368  for  plant 
additions  and  charged  off  approximately  $2,000,000  for  depreciation.  A  special 
reserve  of  $2,200,000  was  set  up  for  federal,  state  and  city  taxes,  and  the  general 
reserve  for  contingencies  and  improvements  was  increased  to  more  than  $1,500,- 
000.  The  surplus  account  from  $3,063,845  in  19 14  had  been  expanded  to  nearly 
$i6,oco.coo  in  1916. 

A  minute  history  of  this  company  would  be  a  history  of  the  rise  and  progress 
of  brass  manufacture,  the  German  silver  manufacture,  the  daguerreotype,  ambro- 
type,  and  photographic  business,  the  munition  making  business,  and  of  all  the 
ramifications  of  these  industries  since  they  began  to  exist  in  the  United  States.  A 
brief  account  of  this  earlier  history  is  essential  to  ascertain  the  lines  on  which  the 
corporation  was  established. 

The  business  which  afterwards  became  the  Scovill  Manufacturing  Company 
began  in  1802  when  the  firm  of  Abel  Porter  &  Co.,  undertook  the  manufacture  of 
gilt  buttons.  The  firm  was  composed  of  Abel  Porter,  Daniel  Clark,  Silas  Grilley 
and  Levi  G.  Porter,  all  of  Waterbury.  In  August,  1809,  Silas  Grilley  sold  out 
to  his  partners  and  September  19,  181 1,  the  whole  business  passed  into  the  hands 
of  Dr.  Frederick  Leavenworth,  David  Hayden  and  James  M.  L.  Scovill,  and  the 
firm  name  became  Leavenworth,  Hayden  &  Scovill.  On  April  4,  1827,  Leaven- 
worth and  Hayden  sold  their  interest  and  William  H.  Scovill  purchased  a  half 
interest  in  the  business  for  which  he  paid  about  ten  thousand  dollars.  The  firm 
became  T.  M.  L.  &  W.  H.  Scovill. 


206      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Within  the  next  ten  years  several  subsidiary  organizations  were  established 
in  which  the  parent  firm  became  a  partner  with  others.  Among  these  was  the 
firm  of  Scovills  &  Buckingham,  consisting  of  J.  M.  L.  and  W.  H.  Scovill  and 
John  Buckingham,  their  brother-in-law,  which  was  established  in  Oakville  for 
the  manufacture  of  brass  butts,  snuffer  trays,  belt  ornaments  and  other  small  brass 
goods;  also  the  firm  of  W.  R.  Hitchcock  &  Co.,  with  W.  R.  Hitchcock  and  Joseph 
C.  Welton  as  partners,  which  undertook  the  manufacture  of  cloth  buttons  in  a 
building  on  the  west  side  of  Union  Square.  Later  Welton  sold  out  and  the  firm 
became  a  corporation  under  the  same  name.  About  1850  this  business  was 
removed  to  a  factory  on  North  Main  Street,  which  had  been  built  for  the  fork 
and  spoon  business,  where  the  Waterbury  Manufacturing  Company  now  is 
About  1839  came  the  firm  of  Scovills  &  Co.,  with  Scovill  M.  Buckingham  and 
Abram  Ives  as  partners,  for  the  prosecution  of  the  gilt  button  business.  The 
energies  of  the  parent  concern  were  at  this  time  directed  more  towards  sheet 
brass.    Abram  Ives  sold  out  his  interest  and  withdrew  after  two  or  three  years. 

In  1850  all  of  these  interests  except  that  of  W.  R.  Hitchcock  &  Co.  were  con- 
solidated into  one  joint  stock  company  under  the  name  of  The  Scovill  Manufac- 
turing Company,  with  a  capital  of  $200,000,  the  stock  being  taken  by  the  Messrs. 
Scovill  and  their  partners  and  a  few  others  who  had  long  been  in  their  employ 
or  were  otherwise  connected.  In  1852  the  capital  was  increased  to  $250,000,  in 
1854  to  $300,000,  in  1865  to  $350,000,  in  1882  to  $400,000,  in  1898  to  $1,600,000, 
and  in  1900  to  $2,500,000,  in  1904  to  $3,250,000,  in  1907  to  $4,000,000,  and  in 
191 3  to  $5,000,000.     It  still  remains  at  that  figure. 

In  1 88 1  a  special  charter  was  granted  to  the  Company  under  the  same  name 
by  the  Legislature. 

Leavenworth,  Hayden  &  Scovill  dated  their  real  beginning  of  success  from 
1820,  when  Mr.  James  Croft,  an  Englishman,  entered  their  employ.  After 
remaining  with  them  one  year  he  was  secured  by  Mr.  Benedict  and  in  1829  he 
became  one  of  the  partners  of  the  firm  of  Benedict  &  Co.,  then  organized.  It  was 
largely  due  to  the  advice  and  encouragement  of  Mr.  Croft  that  the  venture  was 
continued.  Trained  in  the  art  of  making  gilt  buttons  in  Birmingham,  England, 
he  was  the  first  workman  of  technical  skill  whose  name  appears  in  connection 
with  the  infant  industry.  His  knowledge  of  the  needs  of  the  business  here,  and 
as  well  of  conditions  in  Birmingham,  England,  led  Mr.  Benedict  to  send  him 
seven  times  to  England  for  tools  and  workmen.  It  was  Mr.  Croft  who  secured 
for  his  employer  the  machinery  which  enabled  him  to  compete  successfully  with 
the  older  firm,  Leavenworth,  Hayden  &  Scovill. 

In  1834  it  was  the  Scovill  Company  which  challenged  the  exclusive  right 
of  the  United  States  Government  to  issue  coins.  During  the  next  seven  years 
many  tokens  were  issued  by  them  of  nearly  two  hundred  different  designs.  The 
most  of  these  were  stamped  from  sheet  copper,  although  a  few  were  alloyed 
with  tin.  These  passed  as  current  coin,  even  after  their  manufacture  ceased. 
In  1842  the  issue  was  enjoined  by  the  Government.  After  1866  the  Scovill 
Company  furnished  the  United  States  mint  with  blanks  for  the  three  cent  nickel 
and  after  1890  with  blanks  for  the  one  cent  bronze  and  five  cent  nickel  coins. 
Many  coins,  both  blanks  and  fully  stamped,  have  been  issued  by  the  Scovills  and 
by  others  for  many  South  American  states. 

The  most  notable  achievement  in  the  history  of  the  country  in  the  line  of 
medal  making  was  the  full  set  of  medals — 23,757  m  number — furnished  by  the 
Scovill  Manufacturing  Company  for  the  Columbian  Exposition  of  1893.  These 
were  particularly  rich  and  full  in  design,  and  special  machinery  and  processes 
were  devised  for  their  manufacture. 


OFFICE  OF   SCOVILL  MANUFACTURING   COMPANY,  WATERBURY 


PLUME  &    ATWOOD   MANUFACTURING   COMPANY.  WATER  P.URY 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  207 

In  n)02,  on  the  occasion  of  the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  Scovill 
Manufacturing  Company,  a  bronze  medal,  3  inches  in  diameter,  was  struck  to 
commemorate  the  occasion.  This  had  on  its  face  outline  portraits  of  the  original 
founders  of  the  business,  J.  M.  L.  and  \Y.  Jl.  Scovill,  and  on  the  obverse  side, 
the  dates  1802-1902  and  the  commemorative  statement.  It  was  classed  with  the 
best  medal  work  that  has  been  turned  out  in  the  country. 

In  1914,  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  the  Scovill  Manufacturing  Company 
was  among  the  first  to  tender  its  services  for  munition-making.  With  the  plant 
splendidly  equipped  for  this  work,  and  land  and  other  resources  at  hand  for 
immediate  extension,  agents  for  foreign  governments  were  not  slow  to  take 
advantage  of  this  offer.  The  contracts  for  the  making  of  time  fuses  were  not 
alone  speedily  closed,  but  all  the  skill  and  ingenuity  of  the  best  workmen  in  the 
country  were  applied  to  the  great  task.  The  Scovill  Manufacturing  Company 
made  the  first  and  best  deliveries  and  its  orders  were  greatly  increased. 

Huge  orders  for  shrapnel  shell  cases  were  taken.  These  were  shipped  to 
inspection  points  where  thirty  shells  out  of  every  4,000  are  tested.  Those  which 
stand  the  test  are  then  sent  to  the  Bethlehem  Steel  Works  and  other  similar 
plants  for  final  assembling  and  disposal.  There  have  been  but  few  rejections. 
In  1917  Government  orders  along  the  same  lines  were  received. 

The  physical  growth  of  the  plant  may  be  roughly  divided  into  three  periods. 
The  first  period  is  that  extending  to  1900,  during  which  time  the  total  expended 
for  buildings  and  machinery  amounted  to  $1,411,865.  This  expenditure  is  tabu- 
lated as  follows  by  the  company: 

1865   to  1870 $134,446 

1870  to  1875 80,479 

1875  to  1880 36,378 

1880  to  1885 351,658 

1885  to  1890 181,927 

1890  to  1895 239,283 

1895  to  1900 387,694 

Since  1902  the  greater  part  of  the  plant  has  been  constructed,  but  the  third 
period  beginning  with  19 14  has  been  by  far  the  most  extensive  in  construction,  both 
in  extensions  and  new  buildings.  The  expenditures  for  additions  to  land,  build- 
ings and  machinery  in  the  war  period  have  been  as  follows : 

1914    $    403.52476 

1915    2,336,244.66 

1916  3,654.38577 

1917  to  May  1st 1,158,754.36 

Total  $7-552.909-55 

The  following  record  of  buildings  erected  since  1902  gives  a  fair  conception 
of  the  rapidity  of  the  plant's  growth : 

Four-story  manufacturing  building  back  of  East  Main  Street  with  a  one-story 
addition,  frontage  of  200  feet.     Brick  construction.     Period  prior  to  1910. 

One-story  brick  rolling  mill  building  approximately  100  by  75  feet,  centrally 
located  in  the  older  plarit.    One-story  addition  to  this  approximately  the  same  size. 

Casting  shop,  four-story,  new  style  construction.  Replaced  old  building.  Con- 
structed in  191 2. 


208  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

One-story  reinforced  concrete  and  brick  oilhouse.    Built  in  1916. 

Extension  of  power  house  on  canal.     One-story,  brick.    Built  in  19 10. 

Extension  of  japanning  building  on  Mill  Street,  built  191 1. 

Five-story  extension  to  manufacturing  building  back  of  East  Main  Street, 
brick,  mill  construction.     Erected  1910.     Frontage  200  feet. 

One-story  manufacturing  building  back  of  .Last  Main ;  built  in  1909. 

Five-story  and  basement  manufacturing  building,  mill  construction.  Built 
in  1910.     Back  of  Mill  Street. 

Five-story  manufacturing  building;  narrow  frontage  on  Mill  Street;  length 
about  250  feet,  brick,  mill  construction.    Erected  in  1909. 

Two  reinforced  concrete  hve-story  manufacturing  buildings  with  frontage  of 
about  600  feet  on  East  Main  Street.  Seventy-eight  feet  deep.  Constructed  in 
1915  and  1916. 

Two-story  brick  manufacturing  building  between  Mill  and  Hayden  streets. 
Erected  in  191 5. 

Hayden  Street  residence  completely  remodeled  for  hospital  uses,  1914. 

One-story  temporary  structure  added  to  smaller  manufacturing  building  on 
East  Main  Street. 

Two-story  box  and  barrel  factory  completely  rebuilt  after  the  fire. 

One-story  wood  salvage  plant  building,  erected  in  1912. 

Ash-reclaiming  plant,  built  in  1913. 

Incinerating  plant  built  in  the  East  yards  in  19 13. 

Hayden  Street  building  thoroughly  remodeled  for  paint  shop. 

Former  garage  in  the  East  yards  remodeled  into  tinsmithing  plant. 

Experimental  building  of  brick  and  steel  construction  in  East  yards,  built  in 
19 1 7.     Used  for  research  work. 

Large  storehouse  106  by  247  feet,  steel  frame  with  wood  roof,  built  in  191 5 
with  front  on  East  Main  Street.    Moved  in  1916  to  Silver  Street  plant. 

The  first  unit  of  new  power  houses  in  Silver  Street  plant.  Has  capacity  of 
8,000  kilowatts.  Furnishes  electric  power  only.  Erected  in  1916.  Part  of  a 
duplicate  unit  now  under  construction. 

Steel  and  corrugated  iron  one-story  temporary  power  and  boiler  house  in 
Silver  Street  plant. 

Four-story,  steel  frame,  brick  walls,  casting  shop  160  by  200  feet.  Erected 
in  1916.  This  is  the  building  with  the  twelve  smoke  stacks  and  is  perhaps  one  of 
the  largest  casting  shops  in  the  country. 

Mill  building,  120  by  220  feet,  steel  frame,  brick  and  glass  walls,  one  story  high, 
erected  on  Silver  near  Meriden  Road  in  191 7. 

Small  casting  shop,  steel  and  corrugated  iron,  50  by  170,  Silver  Street  plant, 
erected  in  1917. 

One-story  high  mill  building  310  by  850  feet,  steel  frame,  brick  and  glass  walls, 
near  Hamilton  Avenue,  started  in  191 5;  finished  in  19 16. 

Two-section  barn,  40  by  200  feet,  off  Hamilton  Avenue. 

Chemical  laboratory,  50  by  212  feet,  one  story  high,  reinforced  concrete,  on 
Caroline  and  Ambrose  streets.  This  is  one  of  the  most  completely  equipped  labo- 
ratories in  the  country.     W.  B.  Price,  chief  chemist,  is  in  charge. 

Hot  forging  plant,  one  story  high,  steel  frame  and  corrugated  iron,  125  by 
284  feet,  erected  in  1917. 

There  are  now  under  construction : 

New  garage  and  manufacturing  building,  reinforced  concrete,  five  stories, 
East  Main  between  Hamilton  Avenue  and  Ambrose  Street,  78  by  218  feet.  One- 
third  of  a  proposed  unit. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  209 

Extension  to  the  big  mill  building  near  I  lamilton  Avenue,  size  200  by  225 
feet.    One  story  high,  steel,  brick  and  glass  construction. 

Extension  to  Silver  Street  plant  power  house,  as  already  mentioned. 

One-story,  steel  frame  wood  roof  temporary  extension  to  storehouse,  106  by 
192  feet. 

New  hospital  on  Hamilton  Avenue,  west  of  Building  68.  Heavy  wood  con- 
struction.    One  story.    Just  completed. 

In  addition  to  this  work,  two  dams  have  been  built,  the  Mad  River  dam  in 
1916  and  the  Wolcott  dam  in  19 17. 

The  financial  returns  from  this  vast  progressive  plant  have  been  enormous. 
On  January  25,  19 1 7,  the  Scovill  Manufacturing  Company  declared  an  extra 
dividend  of  10  per  cent,  payable  February  1st.  This  was  the  tenth  monthly  divi- 
dend of  10  per  cent  to  be  declared  in  succession.  On  January  1st,  the  extra  and 
the  regular  quarterly  2  per  cent  were  paid,  and  a  special  dividend  of  25  per  cent 
in  Anglo-French  bonds  was  distributed  on  January  5th.  In  1916,  the  extra  and 
regular  dividends  amounted  to  in  per  cent. 

The  balance  sheets  for  191 5  and  1916  follow: 

1915  1916 

Land,  buildings  and  machinery $  6,157,547         $  7,390,950 

Cash  and  certificates  of  deposit 3,436,212  6,047,763 

Bonds    1,409,947  S.SW'SSS 

Stock  in  other  companies 3,248  56,788 

Bills  rec,  etc 3,004,471  5,671,588 

Merchandise 3>5°9>i36  5»3I4,79° 

$17,520,561         $28,001,237 

Capital  stock   $  5,000,000  $  5,000,000 

Surplus  2,163,846  2,588,208 

Accounts  payable,  etc 2,882,353  809  567 

Contingencies  and  improvement  reserve 1,500,000  4,000,000 

Reserve  for  taxes 2,200,000 

Net  earnings    for   year 5,974,362  13,403,462 

$17,520,561         $28,001,237 

The  housing  work  done  by  the  Scovill  Manufacturing  Company,  one  of  its 
most  important  methods  of  helpfulness  to  its  employees,  is  fully  covered  under  a 
chapter  devoted  to  that  subject.  The  history  of  its  police  and  fire  departments, 
which  work  in  conjunction  with  the  city  departments,  is  fully  told  in  the  chapters 
devoted  to  the  city's  protection  methods. 

Its  hospital  work  started  in  January,  191 4,  with  Miss  Nora  A.  O'Brian, 
registered  nurse,  in  charge.  Miss  O'Brian  has  three  graduate  nurse  assistants  and 
two  male  nurses.  The  hospital  is  open  night  and  day  for  service,  and  no  matter  how 
slight  the  injury,  it  must  be  reported  and  looked  after  by  the  physician  in  charge. 
The  main  hospital  on  Hayden  Street  has  an  operating  room,  rest  rooms  for  men 
and  women,  an  X-ray  room,  a  sterilizing  room  and  a  laboratory.  The  East 
Hospital  contains  all  of  these  equipments  except  laboratory  and  X-ray  room. 
These  hospitals  provide  for  free  examination  of  employees,  free  treatment  in 
case  of  accidents  and  also  serve  to  assist  in  placing  employees  at  work  which 
cannot  aggravate  any  organic  trouble  which  they  may  possess. 


Vol.  1—14 


210  WATERBURY  AND  THE  XAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

In  explanation  of  the  work  the  following  written  by  the  capable  nurse  in 
charge  of  the  Scovill  Manufacturing  Company's  hospital,  Miss  Nora  O'Brian,  in 
her  1916  report,  is  enlightening: 

"During  our  few  years'  existence,  our  experience  has  taught  us  that,  in  the 
administration  of  industrial  enterprises,  few  factors  are  of  more  importance  than 
medical  and  surgical  supervision;  care  of  the  health  and  sanitary  conditions,  in 
the  modern  industrial  concerns,  carries  with  it  no  light  responsibility.  Employees 
are  constantly  encouraged  to  seek  medical  and  surgical  aid  and  advice  in  case  of 
even  the  most  trivial  accident  or  the  slightest  illness.  No  physical  phase  in  the 
life  of  the  employee,  or  his  family,  is  too  large  or  too  small  to  claim  the  atten- 
tion of  the  company's  physicians  and  surgeons,  and  a  visiting  nurse,  whose  service 
is  gratuitous,  is  always  on  call  and  frequent  visits  are  made  to  the  homes  of  the 
employees.  During  the  past  year  the  management  is  able  to  report  numerous 
improvements  and  better  general  conditions.  With  the  co-operation  of  the 
employment  office,  with  the  information  obtained  from  our  various  committees 
and  associations,  we  are  frequently  able  to  place  employees  having  physical  disa- 
bilities to  good  advantage  and  applicants  for  work  are  not  necessarily  debarred 
because  of  physical  disabilities.  When  we  find,  through  accident  or  observation, 
an  employee  who  is  not  fitted  for  his  work  and  is  undermining  his  health  by 
performing  such  work,  with  the  co-operation  of  the  foreman  this  employee  is 
placed  to  advantage  and  kept  under  observation. 

"Due  to  the  co-operation  of  the  foreman,  by  reporting  accidents  immedi- 
ately, infection  cases  are  reduced  to  a  minimum  and  very  little  time  is  lost 
through  infection. 

"Employees  suffering  from  physical  disabilities,  such  as  hernia,  epilepsy, 
varicose  veins  and  diseases  of  the  heart  and  kidneys,  must  sign  instructions  not 
to  do  any  heavy  lifting  or  over-exert  themselves  and  are  placed  to  advantage, 
also  kept  continually  under  observation  by  reporting  to  the  hospital  for  peri- 
odical examination. 

"The  number  of  accidents  for  the  year  1916  will  approximate  16,000;  casual- 
ties (for  which  the  company  is  not  held  responsible),  11,287;  total  number  of 
cases  treated  by  the  medical  department  in  all  its  branches,  27,286 ;  total  number 
of  surgical  dressings,  60,000;  as  compared  with  11,493  accidents,  4,623  casualties, 
and  16,728  dressings  during  the  previous  year.  The  increase  in  number  of  cases 
is  due  principally  to  a  much  larger  number  being  employed,  and  also  because 
employees  have  been  encouraged  more  strongly  to  report  any  indisposition  to  the 
hospital. 

"The  management  has  also  extended  the  use  of  the  Scovill  Hospital  to 
employees  of  outside  concerns,  who  may  be  working  on  the  premises.  Due  to 
the  extensive  additions  and  alterations  of  the  Scovill  plant  for  the  past  few  years, 
the  number  of  outside  concerns'  employees  receiving  treatment  at  this  hospital 
has  shown  a  decided  increase.  During  the  year  191 4,  forty  outside  employees 
were  treated;  1915,  400;  and  indications  for  the  present  year  are  that  500  outside 
employees  will  probably  receive  treatment  at  this  hospital." 

The  employment  bureau  of  the  Scovill  Company,  established  as  a  distinct 
branch  of  the  vast  business,  was  opened  in  1914,  and  is  now  in  charge  of 
Robert  E.  Piatt,  head  of  the  industrial  service  department.  All  applicants,  both 
men  and  women,  pass  through  this  department,  averaging  from  50  to  100  a  day. 
When  an  employee  is  first  taken  on,  he  is  given  a  set  of  instructions  in  the; 
language  he  can  read  best,  to  which  he  signs  his  name.  These  instructions  in 
effect  tell  him  to  "go  to  the  hospital  when  he  is  injured  or  sick."  He  is  given  a 
ticket  describing  him,  his  injury,   where  and  when  occurred,  etc.     This,   when 


\\  ATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  211 

injured,  he  takes  to  the  hospital  at  once,  where  he  receives  treatment,  the  ticket 
being  given  a  serial  number  and  tiled  for  reference. 

The  employment  bureau  is  closely  connected  with  what  is  known  as  the 
permanent  safety  advisory  committee,  a  group  of  representative  foremen  and 
superintendents  who  carry  on  frequent  inspection  of  dangerous  localities  and 
investigate  all  serious  accidents  with  a  view  to  carrying  out  such  changes  as  will 
lessen  the  chance  of  a  repetition.  Furthermore,  new  buildings  and  machinery 
are  designed  with  special  reference  to  safety  and  health,  while  all  dangerous 
tools,  machines  and  localities  are  safeguarded  as  soon  as  recommendation  is  made 
by  this  committee.  But  in  the  matter  of  the  help  they  do  much  to  see  that  in  the 
line  of  both  skilled  and  unskilled  labor,  only  physically  able  men  and  women  are 
taken  on. 

The  industrial  service  department  was  started  in  April,  19T7,  with  Rev.  H.  D. 
Gallaudet  in  charge.  He  left  in  May  to  enter  the  army  service  and  Robert  E. 
Piatt  is  now  in  charge  of  this  work.  It  is  rapidly  developing  into  its  proposed 
line  of  usefulness,  which  to  begin  with  will  be  largely  survey  work  so  that  special 
adjustments  can  be  made  intelligently.  It  is  proposed  to  develop  this  department 
so  that  in  its  sociological  work  it  will  help  the  employees  along  educational  as 
well  as  along  recreational  lines. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  here  that  the  service  flag  of  the  company,  which  is 
now,  December,  191 7,  in  preparation,  will  have  about  four  hundred  stars  in  it. 

The  Scovill  Manufacturing  Company  has  had  but  little  labor  trouble.  On 
August  25,  191 5,  the  company  increased  wages  15  per  cent  and  granted  the 
Saturday  half-holiday  with  full  pay.  Since  that  date  it  has  made  further  sub- 
stantial increases  with  a  bonus  system  which  enables  the  skilled  workmen  to  make 
excellent  wages. 

The  number  of  women  employed  changes  often.  At  present,  December,  1917, 
about  one-quarter  of  all  employed  are  women. 

The  officers  of  the  corporation  have  been  as  follows : 

PRESIDENTS 

J.  M.  L.  Scovill 1850-1857 

Scovill  M.  Buckingham 1857-1861 

Samuel  W.  Hall 1861-1868 

Frederick  J.  Kingsbury 1868-1900 

Chauncey  P.  Goss 1900-1917 

VICE  PRESIDENTS 

Frederick  J.  Kingsbury 1900-191 1 

Mark  L.  Sperry 1911-1917 

TREASURERS 

William  H.  Scovill 1850-1854 

Scovill  M.  Buckingham 1855-1861 

F.  J.  Kingsbury 1861-1864 

Henry  Merriman  for  one  month. 

F.  J.  Kingsbury 1 864-1865 

I  '.arrett  Ripley   1865-1866 

Chauncey  P.  Goss 1866-1917 


212  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

SECRETARIES 

Scovill  M.  Buckingham 1850-1858 

Edward   S.   Clark 1858-1862 

Frederick  J.  Kingsbury 1862-1864 

Chauncey  P.  Goss 1864-1869 

Mark  L.  Sperry 1869-1917 

ASSISTANT  TREASURER 

Edward  O.  Goss 1 900-1917 

ASSISTANT  SECRETARY 

Theophilus  R.  Hyde,  Jr 1900-1907 

C.  M.  DeMott 1907-1917 

DIRECTORS 

James  M.  L.  Scovill 1850-1857 

William  H.  Scovill 1850-1854 

Scovill  M.  Buckingham 1850-1862 

George  Mallory 1850-1855 

Samuel  W.  Hill 1850-1877 

Mark  L.  Sperry l&77~ 

Edward  S.  Clark 1855-1862 

Samuel  Holmes   1855-1878 

Frederick  J.  Kingsbury 1858-191 1 

Christopher  C.  Post 1862-1869 

Scovill  M.  Buckingham 1863-1889 

Douglass  F.  Maltby 1866-1867 

Thomas  L.  Scovill 1866-1886 

Thomas  C.  Morton 1867-1876 

Douglass  F.  Maltby 1 869-1898 

Chauncey  P.  Goss l&77~ 

Washington  I.  Adams 1878-1896 

William  E.  Curtis 1910- 

Henry  W.  Scovill 1889- 

Guernsey  S.  Parsons 1890-1897 

Joseph  T.  Whitlesey 1896-1903 

Theophilus  R.  Hyde,  Jr 1897-1901 

Edward  O.  Goss 1898- 

John  H.  Goss !9°3- 

C.  M.  DeMott 1907- 

The  present  directors  are:     C.  P.  Goss,  E.  O.  Goss,   |.  H.  Goss,  Mark  L. 
Sperry,  H.  W.  Scovill,  W.  E.  Curtis,  C.  M.  DeMott. 

CAPITAL 

1850 — January,  original $  200,000 

1852 — January,  increase 50,000 

1854 — January,  increase 50,000 

1865 — September,  increase 50,000 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  213 

1882 — August,  increase   50,000 

1892 — January,  increase 1,200,000 

1900 — January,  increase 900,000 

1904 — January,  increase 750,000 

1907 — January,  increase 750,000 

1913 — January,  increase 1,000,000 


$5,000,000 

THE  MATTHEWS  &  WILLARD  MANUFACTURING  COMPANY 

The  Matthews  &  Willard  plant  on  North  Elm  Street  is  now  a  branch  of  the 
Scovill  Manufacturing  Company,  having  been  bought  out  in  May,  1903.  It  was 
incorporated  originally  for  $250,000  in  1890,  and  its  officers  then  were:  Presi- 
dent, F.  L.  Curtis;  treasurer,  C.  P.  Goss;  secretary  and  manager,  George  G. 
Blakeslee.  Its  output  is  along  the  general  lines  of  brassware  made  by  the  Scovill 
Company. 


CHAPTER  XVII 
OTHER  BRASS  AND  BRASSWARE  COMPANIES 

THE  AMERICAN  RING  COMPANY RANDOLPH   &  CLOWES  COMPANY THE  WATERBURY 

ROLLING  MILLS A.  H.  WELLS  &  CO. FRENCH   MANUFACTURING  COMPANY THE 

PILLING    BRASS  COMPANY WATERBURY    BRASS    GOODS    CORPORATION STEELE     & 

JOHNSON THE   NATIONAL   COMPANY — THE   SMITH    &  GRIGGS   MANUFACTURING 

COMPANY THE    SHOE    HARDWARE    COMPANY PLATT    BROTHERS    &    COMPANY 

NOVELTY     MANUFACTURING    COMPANY BERBECKER     &     ROWLAND MATTATUCK 

MANUFACTURING     COMPANY WATERBURY     BUCKLE     COMPANY — L.     C.     WHITE 

COMPANY NOERA  MANUFACTURING  COMPANY THE  GENERAL  MANUFACTUR- 
ING COMPANY THE  AMERICAN  FASTENER  COMPANY THE  SIMONSVILLE  MAN- 
UFACTURING     COMPANY THE      WATERBURY      METAL      WARES      COMPANY THE 

SOMERS   COMPANY,   INC. — THE    CONNECTICUT   MANUFACTURING   COMPANY. 

The  Plume  &  Atwood  Manufacturing  Company  is  one  of  the  larger  inde- 
pendent manufacturing  establishments  of  the  country.  It  was  organized  in  1869, 
assuming  its  present  name  in  1871.  Israel  Holmes  was  its  first  president  and 
David  S.  Plume  its  treasurer.  It  constructed  the  older  part  of  its  present  factory 
on  Bank  Street  in  1872,  also  purchasing  the  brass  rolling  mill  of  the  Thomas 
Manufacturing  Company  at  Thomaston.  Within  the  past  twenty  years  the  plant 
at  Thomaston  has  been  greatly  enlarged  and  the  factory  in  Waterbury,  a  very 
modest  structure  to  begin  with,  has  now  a  frontage  of  679  feet  on  Bank  and 
144  feet  on  Jackson  streets.  There  are  in  all  twelve  buildings  in  the  present  plant. 
The  Waterbury  factory  manufactures  general  brass  products  which  are  sold  to 
retailers  and  jobbers  all  over  the  world. 

The  presidents  since  1890  have  been:  Lewis  J.  Atwood  to  February  23,  1909; 
Cbarles  H.  Tucker,  April  19,  1909,  to  February  8,  1910;  Walter  S.  Atwood, 
February  8,  1910,  to  February  14,  191 1;  John  Booth  Burrall,  February  4,  191 1, 
to  the  present  time. 

The  vice  presidents  of  the  company  have  been  as  follows :  Charles  H.  Tucker, 
February  11,  1902,  to  April  19,  1909;  Walter  S.  Atwood  from  April  19,  1909, 
to  February  8,  1910;  Robert  C.  Swayze,  from  February  8,  1910,  to  February,  1916, 
when  he  was  succeeded  by  the  present  vice  president,  Otis  S.  Northrop.  E.  M. 
Burrall,  one  of  Waterbury 's  most  enterprising  manufacturers,  was  for  fifteen 
years,  until  his  death  in  1901,  a  director  of  this  company. 

The  present  secretary  is  S.  Kellogg  Plume,  elected  February  11,  191 5,  suc- 
ceeding Fred  T.  Millham.  David  S.  Plume  was  its  treasurer  from  January  25, 
1870,  to  February  19,  1907.  He  was  succeeded  by  John  Booth  Burrall.  The 
present  treasurer,  John  H.  Hurlbut,  has  been  in  office  since  February  11,  1914. 

Its  capital  is  $1,250,000  and  it  employs  about  one  thousand  hands  in  the 
plants  at  Waterbury  and  Thomaston. 

The  Plume  &  Atwood  Manufacturing  Company  are  manufacturers  of  brass, 
copper  and  German  silver  in  the  sheet,  wire  and  rod,  copper  and  brass  rivets  and 
burrs,  printers'  rule  strips  and  galley  plates,  brass  butt  hinges,  brass  and  iron 

214 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  N'AUGATUCK  VALLEY  215 

jack  chain,  escutcheon  pins,  "The  Royal  Lamp,"  kerosene  oil  burners  and  lamps, 
lamp  trimmings  and  gas  and  electric  fixture  parts. 

THE   AMERICAN    RING    COMPANY 

The  American  Ring  Company ,  now  under  the  control  of  the  Plume  &  Atwood 
Manufacturing  Company,  incorporated  in  1852.  It  started  at  first  on  Canal 
Street  in  a  very  small  factor}'.  Today  in  its  Rank  Street  factories  it  employs 
500  people.  Its  capital  is  $50,000.  This  is  the  original  amount  for  which  the 
company  had  been  incorporated  and  has  not  been  changed. 

The  company  manufactures  furniture  trimmings  and  bathroom  accessories, 
which  are  sold  to  jobbers  and  retailers.  It  has  a  five-story  factory  and  branch 
offices  in   New  York,  Roston,  Chicago  and  San  Francisco. 

The  officers  in  i$()?,  were:  E.  M.  Burrall,  president;  D.  S.  Plume,  treasurer; 
and  David  N.  Plume,  secretary.  On  the  death  of  D.  N.  Plume  in  1899,  F.  S. 
Chesson  became  secretary.  In  1902  Charles  H.  Tucker  was  made  president,  with 
D.  S.  Flume  treasurer,  and  F.  W.  Chesson  secretary.  In  1906  the  officers  were : 
Charles  IF  Tucker,  president;  D.  S.  Plume,  treasurer;  John  M.  Burrall,  secretary; 
John  R.  Rurrall,  assistant  treasurer.  February  11,  1914,  John  B.  Burrall  was 
elected  president  and  treasurer,  and  John  M,  Burrall  secretary  and  general 
manager,  which  positions  they  hold  in  1917. 

One  of  its  most  successful  patents,  which  is  still  manufactured  in  large 
quantities,  is  the  Washburne  fastener,  a  combination  button  and  spring  clasp. 
It  is  today  a  staple  in  trades  and  industries  requiring  fasteners. 

The  great  success  of  this  company  was  due  largely  to  the  business  acumen 
and  progressiveness  of  Edward  Milton  Burrall,  its  president  from  1888  to  1901, 
the  year  of  his  death.  He  was  for  years  vice  president  and  trustee  of  the  Dime 
Savings  Bank  and  a  director  of  the  Colonial  Trust  Company. 

RANDOLPH    &    CLOWES    COMPANY 

Of  the  various  establishments  in  the  brass  industry  aside  from  the  Scovill 
Manufacturing  Company,  the  Chase  Companies,  and  the  American  Brass  Com- 
pany one  of  the  largest  single  plants  is  that  of  the  Randolph  &  Clowes  Company. 

This  firm  began  business  in  1886,  purchasing  part  of  the  plant  of  the  defunct 
concern  of  Brown  &  Brothers.  Edward  F.  Randolph,  of  New  York,  furnished 
the  money  and  the  management  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  George  H.  Clowes. 
Work  was  begun  in  April,  1886,  with  fifty  men  and  one  clerk.  At  the  end  of 
three  years,  the  business  had  grown  to  $600,000  a  year,  largely  by  reason  of  the 
ability  and  energy  of  Mr.  Clowes. 

In  1890  Mr.  Clowes  had  developed  the  business  to  such  an  extent  that  he 
was  prepared  for  the  manufacture  of  sheet  brass  and  sheet  copper  and  bought 
the  disused  rolling  mill  of  the  old  company  for  this  purpose. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Randolph  in  1898  forced  a  change  in  the  affairs  of  the 
company,  and  long  litigation  ended  in  the  defeat  of  Mr.  Clowes,  Charles  Miller 
and  associates  taking  over  the  Randolph  and  controlling  interest  in  the  firm  of 
Randolph  &  Clowes. 

Mr.  Clowes  did  much  to  develop  Waterbury,  not  alone  along  manufacturing 
lines,  but  in  the  way  of  civic  beautification.  In  a  few  years  he  worked  marvelous 
changes  at  Norwood,  the  Pines  and  at  Overlook.  In  1894  Mr.  Clowes  was  presi- 
dent of  the  Board  of  Trade.     He  died  May  17,  191 2. 

In  August,  1899,  Randolph  &  Clowes  was  incorporated  for  $500,000  and  its 


216  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

first  officers  were :  President,  C.  P.  Goss  ;  treasurer,  Franklin  A.  Taylor ;  secretary 
Curtis  J.  Birkenmayer.  In  1904  Charles  Miller,  to  whomi  the  courts  awarded  a 
controlling  interest,  acquired  by  purchase  during  the  previous  few  years,  was 
chosen  president ;  Franklin  A.  Taylor,  vice  president  and  secretary,  and  Charles  E. 
Hall,  treasurer. 

In  1917  its  officers  are:  Vice  president,  Ralph  H.  Smith;  secretary,  Henry  I. 
Farnum.  Its  president,  Charles  Miller,  died  February  6,  1917,  and  Mr.  Hall 
died  later  in  the  year. 

Mr.  Miller  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  business  men  of  Waterbury,  having 
come  here  in  i860  and  with  Henry  H.  Peck  founded  the  Miller  &  Peck  Dry 
Goods  Company.  In  1899  he  retired  from  this  and  devoted  his  time  to  the  devel- 
opment of  the  business  of  Randolph  &  Clowes.  Mr.  Miller  died  at  the  ripe  age 
of  seventy-nine  years  and  five  months. 

The  Randolph  &  Clowes  plant  today  comprises  twenty  buildings  in  which 
about  seven  hundred  men  are  regularly  employed.  Fully  half  of  these  buildings 
are  of  modern  factory  construction  and  equipped  with  one  of  the  finest  crane 
systems  in  the  city. 

It  manufactures  seamless  drawn  brass  and  copper  tubing  and  shells  to  32 
inches  in  diameter ;  sheet  brass  and  bronze ;  brass  and  bronze  rods ;  Muntz  metal 
sheets  and  rods ;  marine  bronze  sheets  and  rods ;  brazed  brass  tubing  and  mould- 
ing; spun  brass  kettles  and  Brown  &  Brothers  seamless  copper  range  boilers. 

THE    WATERBURY    ROLLING    MILLS 

The  Waterbury  Rolling  Mills,  Inc.,  was  organized  in  March,  1907.  Its  capital 
is  $200,000.  The  first  officers  of  the  company  were :  President,  Ambrose  H. 
Wells;  secretary  and  assistant  treasurer,  Fred  B.  Beardsley;  treasurer,  Frank  P. 
Welton. 

Its  officers  in  1917  are:  Cornelius  Tracy,  president;  Fred  B.  Beardsley, 
secretary  and  treasurer ;  R.  D.  Somers,  vice  president  and  assistant  treasurer. 

In  1908  additions  of  considerable  importance  were  made  to  the  plant.  The 
new  factory  building  put  up  in  that  year  is  of  brick  and  steel  construction,  one 
story  high,  65  by  150  feet  in  size,  with  wing  32  by  40  feet.  The  casting  shop 
and  boiler  house  are  of  the  same  construction,  also  one  story  in  height.  The 
dimensions  are  50  by  64  feet  and  34  by  45  feet,  respectively,  and  were  put  up 
in  1908. 

In  1909  the  one-story  concrete  and  steel  building,  48  by  150  in  size,  was 
erected,  together  with  some  frame  additions.  Further  additions  followed  and  in 
1917  a  shipping  building,  blacksmith  shop,  and  a  new  garage  are  under 
construction. 

The  Waterbury  Rolling  Mill  employs  about  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  hands, 
and  manufactures  German  silver,  bronze,  gilding  metal,  platers,  bars,  low  brass 
and  other  special  alloys  in  sheet  and  rolls. 

A.  H.  WELLS  &  CO. 

A.  H.  Wells  &  Co.  began  business  in  1887.  Its  incorporation,  however,  was 
deferred  until  1907,  when  its  capital  was  fixed  at  $50,000.  In  1916,  this  was 
increased  to  $250,000.  Its  first  president  was  A.  H.  Wells,  who  died  February  15, 
1910.  The  company  since  then  has  had  the  following  officers:  President,  S.  J. 
Wells;  secretary,  C.  H.  Wells;  treasurer,  G.  H.  Wells. 


\\  ATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  217 

Its  output  is  confined  to  small  sizes  of  seamless  brass  and  copper  tubing.  The 
plant  gives  employment  to  160  hands. 

In  [905,  the  new  factory  building  on  Watertown  Avenue  was  added  to  the 
plant,  and  from  that  time  on  extensions  have  been  made  repeatedly  with  the 
growth  of  business. 

Both  brick  and  concrete  and  frame  additions  were  put  up  in  1907,  1908  and 
1909,  the  latter  40  by  100  feet  in  size.  The  additions  in  191 1  were  one-story 
brick  structures,  64  by  107  and  35  by  55.  Smaller  additions  were  made  in  1914, 
and  in  KJ15  and  1916  a  100  by  160  factory  was  erected.  Many  improvements  have 
been  added  in  the  past  two  years. 

The  plant  is  today  one  of  the  most  complete  of  its  kind  in  the  country. 

THE    FRENCH    MANUFACTURING    COMPANY 

The  French  Manufacturing  Company  was  organized  in  1905,  with  F.  W. 
French  as  president,  L.  R.  Carter  as  treasurer,  and  George  L.  Jenks  as  secretary. 
Its  capital  was  $25,000,  increased  March  2,  1910,  to  $50,000,  and  March  14, 
1913,  to  $100,000. 

The  first  factory  was  built  at  128  Robbins  Street,  and  was  40  by  60  feet. 
Since  then  additions  have  been  built  every  two  years.  The  factory  is  now  260 
by  80  feet,  and  three  stories  in  height.  It  is  of  brick  and  steel  construction,  with 
cement  floors  and  roof.  The  company  manufactures  seamless  brass  tubing  in 
small  sizes  and  fine  gauges,  also  seamless  brass  copper,  aluminum  and  other  alloy 
tubing  and  various  products  made  from  seamless  tubes.  It  also  manufactures 
piano  player  hardware  and  copper  electrical  linings,  its  product  is  sold  to  other 
manufacturers. 

Its  plant  is  operated  by  electric  power.  It  employs  140  hands,  of  whom 
35  per  cent  are  skilled  workmen. 

THE   PILLING    BRASS    COMPANY 

The  Pilling  Brass  Company  was  incorporated  in  April,  1907,  with  a  capital  of 
$25,000,  increased  July  8,  191 5,  to  $100,000.  Its  business  from  the  outset  has 
been  that  of  making  thin  gauges  of  brass,  copper  and  German  silver.  Its  first 
officers  were :  J.  W.  Pilling,  president  and  treasurer,  and  Jacob  L.  Sweiger, 
secretary.  Mr.  Sweiger  sold  out  in  1909  and  was  succeeded  by  James  H.  Pilling 
as  secretary.    It  has  greatly  enlarged  its  plant,  building  a  new  addition  in  1916. 

On  November  1,  1917,  the  business  was  sold  to  the  Connecticut  Brass  Cor- 
poration of  West  Cheshire,  Conn.,  which  is  now  operating  the  plant  under  the 
name  of  the  Connecticut  Brass  and  Manufacturing  Corporation.  The  Con- 
necticut Brass  Corporation  was  started  in  1912  by  Michael  E.  Keeley  and  sold 
in  1 91 7  to  the  Liggett  interests,  who  also  owned  the  Mayo  Radiator  Company 
of  New  Haven,  and  wanted  to  secure  an  assured  supply  of  sheet  brass.  About 
five  hundred  hands  are  employed  in  the  two  plants,  and  this  will  be  increased 
soon  to  800.  The  company  is  planning  large  extensions.  The  Connecticut  Brass 
Company  supplies  all  of  the  metal  needed  for  the  manufacturing  of  the  Mayo 
radiators,  and  the  Cheshire  plant  furnishes  sheets  to  be  further  manufactured 
into  small  sizes  by  the  Waterbury  plant. 

THE    WATERBURY    BRASS    GOODS    CORPORATION 

The  Waterbury  Br.iss  Goods  Corporation  was  incorporated  in  July,  1904,  and 
took  over  remanufacturing  departments  of  American  Brass  Company  subsidiaries. 


218  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Its  capital  is  $500,000.     Its  president  is  John  A.  Coe,  Jr.,  its  secretary  John  P. 
Durfee,  its  treasurer   Gordon  W.   Burnham. 

The  company  is  a  large  manufacturer  of  brass  goods,  lamps,  kerosene  burners, 
butts,  hinges,  chains,  and  brass  and  bronze  castings.  It  occupied  part  of  the 
Holmes,  Booth  &  Haydens  plant.  It  erected  its  first  two  buildings  in  its  Wash- 
ington Street  plant  in  1909,  and  added  two  large  buildings  in  191 1  and  1912. 

THE  STEELE  &  JOHNSON   MANUFACTURING  COMPANY 

The  Steele  &  Johnson  Manufacturing  Company  was  incorporated  on  March 
17,  1857,  as  the  Steele  &  Johnson  Button  Company.  In  1874  the  business  was 
removed  to  its  present  location  on  South  Main  Street  and  in  1888  the  company 
purchased  the  property  and  erected  its  first  structures.  In  1894  the  officers  were : 
Charles  M.  Mitchell,  president  and  treasurer,  and  Benjamin  L.  Coe,  secretary  and 
superintendent.  Elisha  Steele,  the  founder  of  the  business,  died  in  June,  1875. 
Charles  F.  Mitchell,  the  present  executive,  succeeded  his  father  in  the  position. 
Benjamin  L.  Coe  still  holds  his  position  as  secretary. 

Its  capitalization  is  $150,000. 

The  company  manufactures  brass  goods  from  sheet  wire,  rod  and  tubing, 
sheets,  drawn,  stamped  and  spun ;  stamped  shells  up  to  24  inches  diameter,  nuts, 
washers,  chain,  brass  and  iron  chandelier  chain,  buttons  for  uniforms,  ornaments 
and  novelties,  supplies  for  lighting  fixtures,  electrical  and  plumbers'  trades,  and 
automatic   screw   machine  products. 

Since  1900  the  company  has  put  up  eight  factory  buildings  on  its  present 
site.  The  largest  of  these  buildings,  four  stories,  42  by  150,  was  put  up  in  1909 
and  1 9 10.  A  four-story  factory,  40  by  89,  was  put  up  in  1907  and  1908,  and 
another  of  four  stories,  33  by  51,  was  erected  in  191 1. 

OTHER    BRASS    COMPANIES 

Newcomers  in  the  field  are  the  Waterbury  Brass  and  Bronze  Company,  which 
in  1917  changed  its  name  to  the  Connecticut  Brass  Foundry  Company.  Its 
business  is  devoted  to  brass,  bronze  and  aluminum  castings.  It  was  incorporated 
originally  in  1916  for  $10,000,  with  Bernhard  L.  Coe  as  president  and  Henry  L. 
Silver  as  secretary  and  treasurer. 

The  Eastern  Brass  and  Ingot  Company,  of  New  York,  entered  the  Waterbury 
field  in  1916.  While  incorporated  in  New  York,  it  is  a  Chicago  firm,  with 
Howard  Baker  of  Chicago  as  president.  A.  C.  Duryea,  vice  president,  is  in 
charge  of  the  new  plant  erected  in  the  fall  of  1916  on  East  Aurora  Street.  Its 
business  is  the  conversion  of  finely-divided  metal  scrap  into  solid  briquet-ingots. 
It  employs  fifty  hands. 

THE   NATIONAL   COMPANY 

The  National  Company,  manufacturers  of  brass,  copper,  bronze  and  nickel 
seamless  tubing,  has  made  a  record  in  191 7,  its  plant  having  been  increased  in 
the  past  twelve  months  from  7,000  square  feet  in  its  main  buildings  to  21,000 
square  feet.  It  was  incorporated  in  April,  191 3,  with  a  capital  of  $250,000.  Its 
officers  then  were :  President  and  treasurer,  M.  J.  Byrne ;  vice  president,  A.  A. 
Tanner ;  secretary,  George  M.  Beach.  These  are  its  present  officers,  with  the 
exception  that  the  vice  presidency  is  now  held  by  Walter  N.  Lovell.     In  addition 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  219 

to  its  officers,  its  directors  are   B.  M.  Gardner  of  Cleveland  and  Miss  Mary  C. 
( )'Neill  of  Waterbury.      The  company  employs  about  one  hundred  men. 

Jt  is  doing  some  excellent  housing  work  near  its  plant  on  Huntingdon  Avenue. 
having  in  process  of  construction  a  28-room  single  story  dwelling,  which  is  to  he 
for  the  use  of  four  families.  Each  seven-room  section  has  a  cellar,  city  water, 
electric  light  and  every  possible  convenience. 

THE   SMITH    &   GRIGGS    MANUFACTURING  COMPANY 

The  Smith  &  Griggs  Manufacturing  Company  was  incorporated  in  1869  for 
S40.000,  and  this  capital  was  not  increased  until  1907,  when  it  was  fixed  at 
S  ;oo,ooo,  the  amount  of  its  present  capitalization.  The  original  partnership  was 
formed  in  1864  by  John  E.  Smith  and  Henry  C.  Griggs. 

The  company  manufactures  all  kinds  of  brass  and  metal  goods,  buckles, 
clasps,   auto  and   carriage   hardware,   etc. 

In  1894  A.  S.  Chase  was  president;  E.  S.  Smith,  treasurer;  R.  H.  Smith, 
secretary. 

Its  officers  and  directors  in  1917  are:  Ralph  H.  Smith,  president  and  treas- 
urer; J.  R.  Smith,  assistant  secretary;  directors,  Ralph  H.  Smith,  J.  R.  Smith, 
H.  S^  Chase,  I.  H.  Chase,  A.  J.  Smith,  R.  F.  Griggs,  Julius  Maltby. 

Its  plant  on  South  Main  Street,  near  Pearl  Lake  Road,  was  enlarged  in 
1906  by  the  addition  of  two  factories,  sizes  43  by  137  and  20  by  30. 

THE    SHOE    HARDWARE    COMPANY 

The  Shoe  Hardware  Company  of  Waterbury  was  organized  with  a  capital 
of  $25,000  in  1898.  This  was  increased  to  $400,000  December  20,  1913,  and 
reduced  to  $100,000  April  19,  1917.  It  is  a  subsidiary  of  the  United  States 
Rubber  Company  and  manufactures  much  of  the  hardware  used  by  that  corpora- 
tion. Its  annual  output  of  buckles  runs  into  many  millions.  There  have  been 
few  changes  in  the  personnel  of  its  officials  since  its  organization.  In  November, 
191 7,  Henry  L.  Hotchkiss,  of  New  Haven,  who  had  been  president  since  its 
organization  in  1898,  resigned  and  A.  D.  Field,  of  Waterbury,  who  had  been 
secretarv  and  treasurer  since  the  company  began  business,  was  elected  president ; 
Mr.  Hotchkiss  becoming  vice  president  and  E.  W.  Rutherford  secretary. 

The  company's  plant  on  Brown  Street  has  been  greatly  extended,  additions 
having  been  made  nearly  every  year  of  its  existence.  In  1900  the  central  three- 
storv  building,  86  by  97,  was  erected,  and  in  1908  the  large  addition,  66  by  82,  and 
the  brick  boiler  house  were  added.  In  1909  the  wing,  73  by  107,  was  added.  In 
ion  and  1912  the  five-story  brick  building,  84  by  99,  and  the  three-story  brick- 
building  were  added. 

Henry  L.  Hotchkiss,  who  was  its  president  for  so  many  years,  has  been  closely 
identified  with  the  United  States  Rubber  Company  as  a  director  and  was  on  its 
executive  committee  for  the  first  seven  years  of  its  existence. 

THE   PLATT    BROTHERS    &    COMTAXV 

Among  the  long-established  manufacturing  enterprises  of  Waterbury  is  that 
of  the  Piatt  Brothers  &  Company,  which  was  incorporated  in  1876,  but  was 
founded  on  the  first  of  April,  1847.  Even  before  that  date  the  business  had  its 
inception,  having  been  established  by  Alfred  Piatt,  grandfather  of  Lewis  A.  Piatt, 
who  is  now  president  of  the  concern. 


220  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

It  continued  the  manufacture  of  buttons  until  1910,  when  that  branch  of 
the  business  was  taken  over  by  a  newly  organized  company  under  the  name  of 
the  Patent  Button  Company,  capital  $48,000,  of  which  Lewis  A.  Piatt,  however, 
remains  the  treasurer.  The  original  firm  of  A.  Piatt  &  Co.  was  afterward  reor- 
ganized under  the  name  of  A.  Piatt  &  Sons  and  upon  the  death  of  the  founder 
of  the  business  it  was  incorporated  in  1876  under  the  name  of  The  Piatt 
Brothers  &  Company.  The  capital  is  $30,000.  It  has  not  been  changed.  This 
company  manufactures  all  kinds  of  light  metal  articles,  including  eyelets,  and 
sells  direct  to  manufacturers.  It  employs  about  one  hundred  operatives  in  the 
factory,  50  per  cent  being  skilled  labor.  After  the  incorporation  of  the  company, 
W.  S.  Piatt  was  chosen  president,  with  his  brother,  Clark  M.  Piatt,  as  secretary 
and  treasurer.  The  latter  succeeded  to  the  presidency  on  the  death  of  W.  S. 
Piatt  in  1886,  while  Lewis  A.  Piatt,  son  of  Clark  M.  Piatt,  became  secretary. 
He  continued  in  that  office  until  chosen  to  the  presidency,  which  position  he 
still  fills. 

The  Piatt  Brothers  &  Company  factory  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1893,  but 
was  rebuilt  in  1896  and  1897  and  contains  about  twenty  thousand  square  feet. 
It  uses  both  water  and  electric  power  and  the  factory  is  equipped  with  both 
individual  and  group  motors.  There  are  five  turbine  water  wheels,  furnishing 
400  horse  power  from  the  river.  Clark  M.  Piatt  continued  as  president  to  the 
time  of  his  death  in  1900,  when  Lewis  A.  Piatt  became  president,  with  J.  H.  Hart 
as  treasurer  and  Wallace  H.  Camp  as  secretary. 

THE   NOVELTY   MANUFACTURING   COMPANY 

The  Novelty  Manufacturing  Company  was  organized  in  June,  1872,  and 
William  Bake  was  president;  Edwin  H.  Putnam,  treasurer;  Thomas  Fitzsimons, 
secretary,  and  John  Cushbaum,  with  the  three  officers,  constituted  the  board  of 
directors.  The  business  was  begun  at  125  Maple  Street  in  a  small  way.  In  1886 
Mr.  Blake  died  and  Mr.  Putnam  became  president.  On  his  death  in  1889,  Mr. 
Fitzsimons,  who  had  been  treasurer  from  1886  to  1889  became  president  and 
treasurer,  purchasing  the  Putnam  interest,  with  Mr.  William  E.  Blake  as  secre- 
tary. The  latter  withdrew  in  February,  1892,  and  in  July  Louis  E.  Fitzsimons 
became  secretary.  Thomas  Fitzsimons  died  in  191 1,  and  Oscar  Fitzsimons 
served  as  president  from  1910  until  October,  1912,  with  Louis  E.  Fitzsimons  as 
secretary  and  treasurer.  On  October  2,  191 2,  C.  L.  Holmes  bought  out  Oscar 
Fitzsimons  and  on  the  23d  of  January,  1913,  became  vice  president,  with  Louis  E. 
Fitzsimons  as  president  and  treasurer.  O.  S.  Gage  became  secretary  October  2, 
191 2,  and  the  three  officers  remained  in  their  respective  positions  until  August, 
1917,  when  Louis  E.  Fitzsimons  died. 

In  1894  the  company  built  a  factory,  36  by  88,  four  stories,  of  mill  con- 
struction. In  1900  it  built  a  large  addition  in  two  parts,  four  stories.  In  1902 
it  bought  more  ground,  the  building  on  it  was  remodeled  and  in  1906  a  new 
building  was  added.     The  company  now  has  50,000  square  feet  in  all. 

On  July  13,  1910,  the  capital  stock  was  increased  from  $12,500  to  $200,000. 

The  company  manufactures  metal  goods,  including  bathroom  fittings  and 
accessories.  It  is  the  largest  manufacturer  in  the  United  States  of  pipe  ferrules, 
table  cutlery,  trimmings,  lawn  sprays,  cabinet  hardware,  and  curtain  fasteners 
for  automobiles.  It  makes  all  kinds  of  metal  specialties,  manufacturing  several 
thousand  different  lines.  It  sells  to  other  manufacturers  and  to  the  retail  trade. 
It  has  a  tool  making  department.    It  employs  over  two  hundred  and  fifty  people. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  221 

THE   BERBECKER  &   ROWLAND  MANUFACTURING!  COMPANY 

The  Berbecker  &  Rowland  Manufacturing  Company  was  organized  in  1894, 
capital  $150,000,  when  Herbert  S.  Rowland  purchased  an  interest  in  the  Tucker 
Manufacturing  Company,  which  had  been  incorporated  July  31,  1886.  Its  capital 
today  is  $350,000. 

The  officers  in  1895  were:  Julius  Berbecker,  president;  C.  W.  H.  Berbecker, 
secretary,  and  H.  S.  Rowland,  treasurer. 

In  1917  the  officers  are:  E.  N.  Berbecker,  president;  Herbert  S.  Rowland, 
secretary  and  treasurer;  and  Robert  S.  Booth,  assistant  treasurer.  Its  capital 
is  unchanged. 

The  growth  of  the  business  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  the  plant  has  doubled 
its  capacity  several  times  by  the  building  of  various  additions  to  the  factory. 
Since  1900  it  has  erected  thirteen  factory  buildings  in  its  twenty  acres  of  ground 
at  Waterville. 

It  now  employs  275  people.  The  company  manufactures  cabinet,  upholstery 
and  drapery  hardware,  which  is  sold  all  over  the  United  States  and  abroad. 

Its  buildings  are  nearly  all  of  mill  construction. 

THE   MATTATUCK  MANUFACTURING  COMPANY 

The  Mattatuck  Manufacturing  Company  was  organized  October  15,  1896, 
with  Henry  L.  Wade  as  president,  George  E.  Judd  as  treasurer,  and  George 
Tucker  as  secretary.  On  the  death  of  Mr.  Wade,  Mr.  Judd  succeeded  him  as 
president,  while  continuing  in  the  office  of  treasurer,  and  Mr.  Tucker  has  been 
succeeded  by  William  E.  Fielding,  who  is  now  secretary  and  general  manager. 
Its  capital  is  $225,000. 

The  factory  at  No.  1987  East  Main  Street  has  a  frontage  of  200  feet.  The 
property  of  the  company  covers  several  acres  of  land,  with  seven  model  houses 
for  employes. 

There  are  two  factory  buildings,  each  150  by  44  feet,  four  stories  high,  and 
of  mill  construction,  with  the  sprinkler  system. 

The  company  manufactures  brass  and  wire  goods,  furniture  nails,  upholstery 
nails,  spring  bed  fabrics,  screw  machine  products,  handcuffs,  wire  forms  and 
shapes  and  novelties.  The  company  employs  500  people,  60  per  cent  skilled, 
15  per  cent  girls. 

THE  WATERBURY  BUCKLE   COMPANY 

The  W'aterbury  Buckle  Company  was  organized  April  7,  1853.  Its  capital 
was  increased  in  19 12  to  $400,000.  Its  present  officers  are  Archer  J.  Smith, 
president  and  treasurer,  and  Julius  Maltby,  secretary. 

The  company  now  has  400  employes,  mostly  skilled.  Its  main  factory  is  600  by 
400  feet,  the  old  building  three  stories  high  and  the  new  building  five  stories. 

The  company  manufactures  all  kinds  of  buckles  and  brass  and  steel  specialties, 
selling  extensively  to  other  manufacturers. 

Its  early  success  was  due  largely  to  the  work  of  its  former  president,  Earl 
Smith,  who  joined  the  company  first  as  secretary  and  manager  in  1865  and  later 
as  president.  He  died  July  22,  1906,  having  been  with  the  company  over  thirty 
years.  At  his  death  he  was  president  of  the  American  Mills  Company,  the  Smith 
&  Griggs  Company,  the  Narrow  Fabric  Company  of  New  Haven,  the  Waterbury 


222  WATERBURY  AND  THE  XAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Buckle  Company,  and  a  director  in  the  Waterbury  National  Bank.  In  1890  he 
was  one  of  the  committee  appointed  to  revise  Waterbury 's  charter.  He  was 
prominent  not  alone  in  industrial  lines,  but  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  civic 
development  of  the  city. 

THE    L.    C.    WHITE    COMPANY 

The  L.  C.  White  Company  was  incorporated  July,  1888,  for  $15,000,  at  which 
it  remains  today.  In  1893  George  L.  White  became  president  and  served  until 
his  death,  December  1,  1914.  Frank  J.  Ludington  continued  as  vice  president 
until  his  death  October  11,  1909,  when  Frederick  W.  Ludington  succeeded  him 
and  is  still  in  office.  In  1903  George  L.  White,  Jr.,  became  secretary  and  in 
1914  became  president  and  treasurer,  with  W.  H.  White  as  secretary. 

The  company  manufactures  buttons,  upholstering  nails  and  button  part  nov- 
elties, and  employs  100  people,  mostly  men.  It  developed  a  line  of  automatic 
machinery  for  the  manufacture  of  its  product,  which  is  sold  all  over  the  United 
States  and  abroad  to  jobbers  and  manufacturers. 

THE    NOERA   MANUFACTURING   COMPANY 

The  Noera  Manufacturing  Company  was  incorporated  in  1905,  although  it 
had  been  in  business  as  the  Noera  Company  for  many  years.  Its  president  and 
treasurer  is  Frank  P.  Noera,  and  its  secretary  is  George  W.  Seeton. 

The  capital  is  today  $75,000,  the  amount  given  in  the  original  incorporation 
papers. 

The  Noera  Company  employs  275  hands,  making  all  kinds  of  hardware  spe- 
cialties, bicycle  and  auto  sundries,  but  particularly  oil  cans,  of  which  its  output 
is  very  heavy. 

Its  new  factories  were  erected  in  191 1  and  1912  and  the  larger  brick  building 
was  put  up  in  191 5  and  191 6.  In  191 7  storage  buildings  have  been  added  to 
the  plant. 

THE    GENERAL    MANUFACTURING    COMPANY 

The  General  Manufacturing  Company  was  organized  in  1909  with  a  capital 
of  $10,000  and  the  following  officers  in  charge:  President,  John  Draher;  secre- 
tary, Charles  F.  Probst ;  treasurer,  Max  Kiessling. 

In  19 1 5  the  capital  was  increased  to  $40,000  and  Charles  H.  Swenson  suc- 
ceeded to  the  position  of  secretary. 

In  1917  the  officers  remain  as  above,  with  Miller  P.  Dayton  as  vice  president. 

The  General  Manufacturing  Company  employs  about  seventy-five  people, 
and  its  specialty  is  the  manufacture  of  rivets,  screws,  and  steel  balls. 

The  company  began  business  in  1907,  two  years  before  its  incorporation,  and 
erected  its  first  buildings  on  Brown  Street  in  191 1  and  191 2.  Its  plant  was 
greatly  extended  in  191 3  and  191 4. 

THE    AMERICAN    FASTENER    COMPANY 

The  American  Fastener  Company  was  organized  in  November,  191 5,  with 
a  capital  of  $24,000,  and  with  Charles  Josephson,  of  New  York,  as  president ; 
John  Draher,  of  the  General  Manufacturing  Company,  as  treasurer,  and  Max 
Kiessling,  also  of  the  General  Manufacturing  Company,  as  secretary. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  223 

This  company  manufactures  press  buttons  and  Mr.  Kiessling  is  the  inventor 
of  the  machine  used  in  manufacturing  them.  The  concern  employs  twelve  people 
and  Mr.  Kiessling  has  done  much  toward  developing  the  automatic  machines 
used  by  this  company,  as  well  as  those  used  by  the  General  Company.  Its 
factory  was  erected  in  1915. 

THE  SIMONSVILLE   MANUFACTURING   COMPANY 

The  Simonsville  Manufacturing  Company,  located  on  Pearl  Lake  Road  near 
Tracy  Avenue,  was  incorporated  in  July,  1916,  for  $25,000.  It  has  leased  its 
present  site  and  has  increased  its  capacity  by  adding  a  40  by  20  addition  to  the 
older  60  by  20  building.  Its  president  is  Charles  W.  Roller;  secretary,  George 
Carney;  treasurer,  Roderick  Perrault.  The  business  was  begun  by  these  officers 
in  1915  as  a  partnership  to  manufacture  Diamond  brass  paper  fasteners.  These 
are  much  like  the  old  McGill  fasteners,  except  that  they  have  the  diamond  point. 
The  company  also  manufactures  tools  and  does  much  other  novelty  work. 

THE    WATERBURY    METAL    WARES    COMPANY 

The  Waterbury  Metal  Wares  Company  was  incorporated  October  23,  191 5, 
for  $50,000,  and  in  November  opened  its  factory  on  Jackson  Street  for  the  manu- 
facture of  specialties  in  brass  and  other  metals,  its  main  output  being  lighting 
fixtures.  The  president  of  the  company  is  L.  W.  Andersen;  secretary,  E.  W. 
Andersen.     The  position  of  treasurer  is  at  present  vacant. 

THE   SOMERS   COMPANY,   INC. 

The  Somers  Company,  Incorporated,  was  established  in  191 5  and  incorporated 
in  191 6  with  a  capital  of  $50,000.  It  manufactures  thin  gauges  of  sheet  brass  in 
its  factory  at  94  Baldwin  Street.  The  officers  are :  Robert  D.  Somers,  president, 
who  is  also  vice  president  and  general  manager  of  the  Waterbury  Rolling  Mills ; 
Louis  J-  Somers,  secretary;  Joseph  E.  Somers,  treasurer. 

THE    CONNECTICUT    MANUFACTURING    COMPANY 

The  Connecticut  Manufacturing  Company  was  incorporated  December  29, 
1909,  with  C.  H.  Swenson,  president  and  treasurer,  and  John  Swenson  as  secre- 
tary. It  established  a  plating  plant  which  was,  however,  discontinued  when 
Mr.  Swenson  went  with  the  General  Manufacturing  Company,  of  which  he  is  now- 
one  of  the  principal  officials. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 
CLOCKS,   WATCHES,   PINS,   NEEDLES,   HOOKS   AND   EYES 

THE  WATERBURY  CLOCK  COMPANY THE  BEGINNINGS  OF  THE  "iNGERSOLU"   WATCH 

FROM    THE    ^JUMBO'''    TO    THE    SMALL    "DOLLAR"    WATCH MAKING    ITS    OWN 

CRYSTALS R.    H.   INGERSOLL   &  BROTHER  BUY   THE   NEW   ENGLAND   WATCH   COM- 
PANY PLANT THE  STORY  OF  THE  "LONG  WIND"   WATERBURY  WATCH THE  LUX 

CLOCK   MANUFACTURING  COMPANY THE  AMERICAN   PIN   COMPANY ITS  PLANT 

ITS    NEW    BUILDINGS    SINCE    igOO THE  OAKVILLE   COMPANY   AND    ITS    EXTEN- 
SIONS  OFFICIALS  OF  THE  BIG  PIN  COMPANIES. 

Clock-making  on  a  large  scale  in  Waterbury  was  formerly  a  branch  of  the 
business  of  the  Benedict  &  Burnham  Manufacturing  Company.  On  March  2J, 
1857,  this  was  made  a  separate  concern  under  the  title  of  the  Waterbury  Clock 
Company,  with  a  capital  of  $60,000. 

It  grew  rapidly  and  secured  larger  quarters  on  North  Elm  Street  in  1873. 
Arad  W.  Welton,  the  first  president,  was  succeeded  by  Charles  Benedict,  at 
whose  death  in  1881  G.  W.  Burnham  became  president.  He  died  in  1885  and 
Henry  L.  Wade,  who  had  been  secretary  from  1871,  was  elected  president,  with 
Irving  H.  Chase  as  secretary.  Both  continued  in  the  business  until  19 12,  when 
Mr.  Wade  died  and  Mr.  Chase  became  president,  with  William  J.  Larkin  as 
secretary.  The  factory  has  been  vastly  enlarged  and  the  number  of  employes 
greatly  increased.  The  company  manufactures  every  kind  of  clock,  and  in  many 
designs.  The  output  of  its  glass  factory  is  now  2]A  tons  of  glass  per  day  and 
this  department  alone  employs  300  people.  The  total  employes  in  1887  were  300; 
in  1917  they  are  over  three  thousand.  The  capacity  is  now  23,000  timepieces 
daily. 

The  buildings  are  all  of  mill  construction.  The  company  manufactures  its 
own  electricity  and  uses  electric  power  group  drive  for  motors.  It  has  established 
a  large  experimental  department  in  which  men  are  continuously  employed.  The 
company  now  manufactures  about  seven  hundred  different  styles  of  clocks, 
watches,  and  special  features  of  timepieces.  It  has  recently  erected  a  new 
factory,  70  by  no  feet,  six  stories  and  basement,  made  of  reinforced  concrete, 
and  equipped  with  sprinkler  system.  The  work  benches  of  the  company,  placed 
end  to  end,  would  extend  over  seven  miles. 

The  Ingersoll  "dollar"  watch  has  much  to  do  with  the  great  success  of  the 
Waterbury  Clock  Company.  In  1899,  the  officers  of  the  company  conceived  the 
idea  of  putting  upon  the  market  a  watchcase  with  a  clock  movement  and  small 
enough  to  be  carried  in  an  overcoat  pocket.  It  was  sold  for  $1.50,  was  an  inch 
and  a  half  in  thickness,  and  nearly  three  inches  in  diameter.  It  wound  up  like 
an  alarm  clock.  It  was  called  the  "Jumbo"  and  a  considerable  sale  was  worked 
up  on  it.  In  1893  Robert  H.  Ingersoll  was  running  a  small  store  on  Fulton 
Street,  New  York,  which  he  had  opened  in  1877  for  the  sale  of  rubber  stamps 
and  novelties.  He  happened  to  see  a  "Jumbo"  in  a  jeweler's  window,  realized 
almost  immediately  what  publicity  could  accomplish   in  the   sale  of  what  now 

224 


OFFICE  OF  THE  WATERBURY  CLOCK  COMPANY.  WATERBURY 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY      225 

seems  a  cumbersome  timepiece,  but  then  had  all  the  earmarks  of  a  successful 
invention. 

Mr.  Ingersoll  came  to  Waterbury,  and  after  a  thorough  investigation  placed 
an  order  for  188,000  improved  Jumbos.  He  sold  all  of  them,  and  in  the  following 
year  his  order  was  for  300,000.  By  this  time  the  idea  of  a  smaller  watch  had 
taken  possession  of  his  inventive  mind,  and  improvements  followed  so  quickly 
that  by  19 10  the  Waterbury  Clock  Company  was  delivering  to  R.  H.  Ingersoll 
&  Bro.  3,500,000  of  the  "dollar  watches"  every  year.  The  output  today  in  the 
Waterbury  Clock  Company  of  these  watches  runs  over  12,000  a  day.  This  means 
that  there  are  always  168,000  of  these  watches  in  the  timing  racks,  for  no  watch 
is  turned  out  until  it  has  had  at  least  a  two  weeks'  "timing"  test.  Robert  H. 
Ingersoll  in  1901  sold  1,000,000  of  the  watches  to  Symonds'  London  stores. 
This  started  the  present  world-circling  sale  of  the  "dollar"  watch. 

As  a  result  of  the  constantly  expanding  sale  of  this  cheap,  practical  timepiece, 
the  Waterbury  Clock  Company  has  had  its  most  phenomenal  growth  since  1900. 
In  that  year  it  built  two  five-story  brick  factory  additions,  one  34  by  88  feet,  the 
other  40  by  114  feet.  In  1901  it  added  three  additional  factories,  each  five  stories 
and  respectively  34  by  88,  40  by  114,  and  44  by  70.  In  1904  and  1905  it  added  five 
buildings  to  the  plant.  One  of  these  was  the  brick  boiler  house,  another  the  engine 
house.  One  of  the  new  factory  buildings,  of  brick  and  heavy  mill  construction, 
measures  43  by  116.  The  other  five  story  brick  measures  43  by  104.  Approxi- 
mately  $125,000  was  expended  for  new  buildings  in  this  period. 

In  1907  and  1908  it  had  again  outgrown  its  capacity  and  added  a  five  story 
factory,  size  40  by  176.  In  1909  and  1910  it  expended  approximately  $100,000 
on  further  additions. 

The  Waterbury  Clock  Company  is  probably  the  only  concern  of  its  kind  that 
has  a  factory  for  making  its  own  watch  crystals. 

In  1914  after  the  outbreak  of  the  war  the  Waterbury  Clock  Company  found 
itself  shut  off  from  its  German  and  Swiss  glass  crystal  sources.  It  was  typical 
American  enterprise  that  started  a  factory  to  meet  this  need  and  had  it  in  full 
blast  by  May,  1915.  The  company  is  making  about  five  hundred  gross,  or  72,000 
crystals  daily  now.  A  new  seven  story  factory  now  being  erected  is  for  use  in 
the  making  of  watch  crystals,  and  this  means  that  the  supply  will  be  greatly 
increased  in  1918. 

The  entire  watch  output  of  the  Waterbury  Clock  Company  is  sold  to  Robert 
H.  Ingersoll  &  Brother.    This  is  the  world-famous  Ingersoll  watch. 

Its  capital  stock  is  today  $4,000,000. 

ROBERT    H.    INGERSOLL    AND    BROTHER 

Like  the  Waterbury  Clock  Company,  the  Waterbury  Watch  Company,  later 
the  New  England  Watch  Company  and  now  an  integral  part  of  the  Robert  H. 
Ingersoll  &  Brother  organization,  was  a  department  of  the  Benedict  &  Burnham 
Manufacturing  Company.  It  soon  outgrew  its  quarters  in  the  parent  plant,  in 
which  it  had  done  business  for  two  years,  and  in  1880  was  organized  as  a  new 
corporation,  the  Waterbury  Watch  Company,  with  a  capital  of  $400,000.  The 
factory  completed  in  May,  i88r,  is  the  present  site  on  Dover  Street.  Among  its 
first  directors  were  Charles  Benedict,  Gordon  W.  Burnham,  Charles  Dickinson. 
George  Merritt,  Edwin  A.  Locke  and  D.  A.  A.  Buck. 

It  was  through  the  ingenuity  of  D.  A.  A.  Buck  that  the  watch  long  known 
to  the  country  as  the  "long-wind  Waterbury"  was  placed  on  the  market.  This 
was  finally  withdrawn  in  1891  and  a  perfected  short-wind  watch  was  introduced. 

Vol.  1—13 


226  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

In  1888  Augustus  S.  Chase  succeeded  Charles  Dickinson  as  president  and 
remained  in  this  office  until  his  death  in  1896.  In  this  year,  1896,  Arthur  O. 
Jennings  was  secretary  and  Edward  L.  Frisbie  treasurer.  At  this  period  it 
employed  400  hands. 

In  1898  the  Waterbury  Watch  Company  became  the  New  England  Watch 
Company  with  a  capital  of  $600,000.  Its  president  was  E.  L.  Frisbie,  and  its  sec- 
retary and  general  manager  was  A.  O.  Jennings.  It  was  then  making  a  special 
drive  on  the  "  Elfin"  watch,  the  smallest  time  piece  made  in  America,  and  on  the 
'"Hyde,"  which  was  in  competition  with  the  dollar  watch. 

By  1906  it  had  increased  its  capital  to  $750,000  and  its  president  was  George 
L.  White,  its  vice  president  E.  L.  Frisbie,  Jr.,  its  secretary  William  H.  White 
and  its  treasurer  A.  O.  Jennings. 

Competition  now  became  so  keen  that  the  company  was  having  a  hard  time 
to  make  ends  meet.  Its  cheap  watch,  successful  for  a  time,  could  not  stand  up 
under  the  long,  hard  struggle  for  permanent  trade. 

The  capital  had  been  increased  to  $1,000,000,  but  the  sale  of  stock  failed  to 
help  the  project  and  application  for  a  receiver  was  made  on  July  17,  1912. 
Harris  Whittemore  and  John  P.  Elton  were  named  as  receivers. 

In  November,  1914,  when  the  building  and  plant,  which  had  been  inventoried 
at  $325,000,  were  to  be  sold  by  court  order,  R.  H.  Ingersoll  &  Brother,  who  had 
their  main  plant  at  Trenton,  N.  J.,  announced  that  they  were  ready  to  bid  for  it. 

The  city  entered  the  combat,  thinking  to  use  the  building  as  a  Technical  High 
School.  The  belief  was  general  that  the  plant  was  to  be  dismantled  and  the 
machinery  moved  to  Trenton.  Charles  H.  Ingersoll,  secretary  and  treasurer  of 
this  company,  then  announced  that  the  Ingersolls  would  at  once  put  the  plant 
into  condition  for  operation  and  would  be  turning  out  from  1,000  to  2,000  watches 
daily  within  a  year. 

The  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  the  Board  of  Aldermen  both  received  this 
pledge,  on  the  strength  of  which  the  Ingersoll  bid  of  $76,000  was  accepted  on 
November  25,  1914. 

This  company  has  more  than  kept  its  promise.  In  1917  it  is  employing  700 
neople.  has  a  weekly  pay  roll  of  over  ten  thousand  dollars,  and  the  output  of 
watches  is  reaching  1,500  a  day.  The  company  is  now  making  what  it  terms  the 
"Ingersoll-Waterbury"  watch,  thus  reviving  the  old  name  with  a  perfected  time- 
piece. 

The  receivership  of  the  old  company  was  finally  ended  on  January  7,  191 6. 

The  Bannatyne  Watch  Company  was  incorporated  for  $100,000  in  Novem- 
ber, 1905,  with  Franklin  Farrel,  Jr.,  of  Ansonia,  president;  George  E.  Bryant, 
treasurer;  Archibald  Bannatyne,  secretary.  Mr.  Bannatyne  had  been  long  in 
the  employ  of  the  Waterbury  Clock  Company  and  was  the  practical  man  in  the 
new  concern.  Its  factory  was  located  at  31  to  37  Canal  Street.  The  company 
discontinued  the  business  in  191 1.  It  manufactured  principally  a  watch  retailing 
at  $1.50  and  smaller  and  neater  than  the  original  dollar  watch,  being  more  like 
the  improved  lines  selling  at  $1.50  and  $2.00.  Mr.  Bannatyne  has  long  been 
regarded  as  the  inventor  of  the  original  dollar  watch  by  many  people.  He  was 
master  mechanic  of  the  Waterbury  Clock  Company  when  the  "Jumbo"  watch 
was  put  out,  and  thinking  along  this  line,  decided  that  if  it  were  manufactured 
in  large  enough  quantities,  a  small  watch  in  a  nickel  case  with  a  stem-wind  could 
be  made  at  a  price  which  would  make  it  possible  to  retail  it  at  $1.00.  At  that 
time  he  estimated  that  on  an  order  of  500,000  the  manufacturing  cost  would  be 
29  cents  each.  The  preliminary  investment  required  for  tools  staggered  the  direc- 
tors, however,  and  before  anything  was  decided  upon,  Mr.  Ingersoll  visited  the 


FORMERLY  NEW  ENGLAND  WATCH  COMPANY;  NOW  OCCUPIED  BY  THE  INGERSOLL- 
WATERBURY  PLANT.  OWNED  BY  R.  H.   INGERSOLL  &   BROTHER 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  227 

factory  with  a  promise  of  a  market  for  such  a  watch.  In  placing  his  original  orders, 
he  insisted  that  his  name  should  go  on  the  dial,  where  it  has  remained  to  this  day. 

The  old  "long  wind"  Waterbury  watch,  on  which  D.  A.  A.  Buck  took  out 
twelve  patents  from  1S79  to  1885,  was  the  pioneer  cheap  watch.  It  had  what  was 
at  that  time  a  tremendous  sale,  although  its  retail  price  was  $3.50.  It  was  not 
only  the  favorite  hoy's  watch  but  the  rough-and-tumhle  watch  of  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  men.  Its  tick  was  heard  round  the  world  and  had  made  Waterbury 
famous.  Why  was  it  not  the  Waterbury  watch  that  developed  into  a  dollar 
watch  ?  Why  did  the  Waterbury  Clock  company  seize  the  idea  which  would 
have  saved  the  Waterbury  Watch  Company  from  liquidation? 

The  Waterbury  watch  ceased  to  be  an  attractive  novelty  because  of  its  long 
wind,  which  was  a  favorite  joke  of  vaudeville  performers  and  newspaper  humor- 
i-is.  and  the  company  came  to  the  conclusion  in  1891  that  cheap  watches  were 
only  a  passing  novelty.  It  was  decided  to  manufacture  medium  grade  watches 
and  for  fear  the  cheapness  of  the  Waterbury  watch  would  cling  to  the  new 
product,  the  name  of  the  corporation  was  changed  to  The  New  England  Watch 
Company.  Thus  the  factory  entered  upon  the  experiment  of  starting  in  new 
fields,  already  well  occupied,  without  an  established  reputation.  It  is  easy  to 
assert  that  the  Waterbury  watch  could  have  been  at  that  time  both  improved  in 
quality  and  reduced  in  price  and  made  a  commercial  success.  All  we  know  is 
that  eight  years  later  the  Waterbury  Clock  Company  made  the  attempt  and  won. 

It  has  often  been  thought  that  the  company's  change  of  name  was  unfor- 
tunate. In  191 3  the  receivers  considered  the  question  of  re-assuming  it  on  the 
theory  that  after  the  lapse  of  more  than  twenty  years  it  would  be  an  asset  as 
a  trademark.  The  same  idea  was  suggested  to  Charles  H.  Ingersoll  after  his 
purchase  of  the  factory  and  resulted  in  one  of  the  new  products  being  christened 
the  Ingersoll-Waterbury. 

THE  LUX  CLOCK  MANUFACTURING  COMPANY 

Paul  Lux  started  the  Lux  Clock  Company  in  a  small  shop  on  East  Farms 
Street  in  March,  1914.  In  191 5  it  had  outgrown  its  quarters  and  moved  into  a 
large  loft  in  Printers'  Court.  In  January,  1917,  it  was  incorporated  as  The  Lux 
Clock  Manufacturing  Company  with  a  capital  of  $50,000  and  took  larger  quarters 
at  21  Harrison  Street.  Its  officers  are:  President,  Paul  Lux;  vice  president, 
Michael  Keeley;  secretary,  A.  H.  Hauser;  assistant  secretary,  Herman  Lux; 
assistant  treasurer,  Frederick  Lux.  The  company  manufactures  clock  move- 
ments. 

THE    PIN    COMPANIES 

It  was  in  what  may  be  called  the  segregation  of  its  industries  and  in  the 
development  as  separate  organizations  of  what  were  to  begin  with  branches  of 
parent  branches,  that  much  of  the  great  success  of  Waterbury  manufactures 
lies. 

The  pin  industry  is  the  earliest  and  most  striking  illustration  of  this.  This 
began  in  Waterbury  originally  as  a  branch  of  the  Benedict  &  Burnham  Manu- 
facturing Company,  and  became  a  distinct  organization  in  1846,  as  the  Ameri- 
can Pin  Company.  The  invention  by  Chauncey  O.  Crosby  of  a  machine  for  stick- 
ing pins  on  paper  led  to  the  formation  in  1852  of  the  Oakville  Company.  The 
contest  over  the  Crosby  patent,  which  was  claimed  to  be  an  infringement  of  the 
American  Pin  Company's  "goose  neck"  patent  device  for  sticking  pins,  was  the 


228  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

foundation  of  the  Oakville  Company's  success.  In  this  the  courts  upheld  the 
Oakville  Company.  After  this  controversy,  the  two  companies  developed  along 
thoroughly  harmonious  lines. 

The  American  Pin  Company  was  incorporated  in  November,  1846,  and  the 
incorporators  were  Adam  Benedict,  G.  W.  Burnham,  Henry  Bronson,  J.  S. 
Mitchell,  Jr.,  Bennett  Bronson,  Charles  Benedict,  Benjamin  DeForest,  John 
DeForest,  J.  C.  Booth,  A.  W.  Welton,  D.  F.  Maltby,  Philo  Brown,  J.  P.  Elton, 
Ambrose  Ives,  James  Brown,  P.  W.  Carter  and  S.  B.  Minor.  The  American  Pin 
Company  was  organized  with  a  capital  stock  of  $50,000.  The  business  was  a 
feeder  for  the  wire  mills. 

Nelson  Hall  became  the  secretary,  treasurer  and  manager  of  the  business  in 
January,  1847,  and  continued  as  manager  until  Theodore  I.  Briggs  became 
treasurer  on  the  24th  of  January,  1865.  On  the  24th  of  December,  1866,  he  was 
made  secretary  and  treasurer  and  was  made  president  and  treasurer  on  January 
24,  1888,  while  George  A.  Driggs  succeeded  to  the  position  of  secretary.  Theodore 
I.  Driggs  continued  in  the  presidency  until  June  28,  1893,  when  A.  M.  Blakesley 
was  elected  his  successor  and  continued  from  January  30,  1894,  until  his  death 
in  October,  1908,  when  George  A.  Driggs  became  president  and  treasurer.  He 
had  previously  been  secretary  and  treasurer  for  fifteen  years  and  upon  his  elec- 
tion to  the  presidency  W.  R.  Willetts  was  elected  secretary,  continuing  until 
February  6,  1913,  when  he  in  turn  was  succeeded  by  W.  W.  Bowers. 

It  was  a  considerable  period  after  the  organization  of  the  company  before 
the  president  became  an  active  factor  in  the  management  of  the  business,  and 
the  first  president  after  the  incorporation  in  1846  was  Philo  Brown.  The  presi- 
dents of  Holmes,  Booth  &  Haydens,  of  the  Waterbury  Brass  Company,  of  the 
Brown  Company  and  of  the  Benedict  and  Burnham  Company  served  in  turn  but 
were  not  active  in  control  of  the  business  until  Theodore  I.  Driggs  became  presi- 
dent on  the  24th  of  January,  1888.  On  the  6th  of  February,  1913,  Fred  E.  Bart- 
lett  became  vice  president,  with  H.  B.  Jenkins  as  assistant  secretary.  On  the  2d 
of  February,  1914,  the  same  officers  were  chosen  save  that  T.  I.  Driggs  was 
elected  assistant  treasurer.  On  the  2d  of  February,  191 6,  Gordon  W.  Burnham 
became  a  director,  together  with  John  P.  Elton,  H.  B.  Jenkins,  T.  I.  Driggs,  Geo. 
A.  Driggs,  Harris  Whittemore,  F.  E.  Bartlett.  W.  W.  Bowers  and  John 
Booth  Burrall.  In  February,  1916,  T.  I.  Driggs  was  elected  general  manager  as 
well  as  assistant  treasurer. 

The  business  was  originally  located  on  East  Main  Street,  where  the  Poli 
Theater  now  stands,  but  was  removed  in  1894  to  Waterville  in  order  to  secure 
more  room.  In  1890  the  company  was  doing  a  business  of  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  dollars  per  annum.  Today  the  business  of  the  corporation 
amounts  to  $3,000,000  per  annum. 

The  plant  covers  50  acres  of  ground,  and  the  factory  comprises  7  buildings, 
4  stories  in  height  with  basement.  One  building  is  250  by  50  feet,  another  160  by 
60  feet,  a  third  150  by  35  feet,  a  fourth  33  by  40  feet,  and  a  fifth  60  by  150  feet. 
There  is  also  a  1  -story  building  80  by  100  feet  and  another  80  by  150  feet.  They 
employ  900  people,  35  per  cent  of  whom  are  skilled  operatives.  Forty  per  cent 
of  the  employes  are  women. 

The  company  manufactures  notions  and  brass  goods,  safety  pins  and  hooks 
and  eyes.  The  plant  is  operated  by  steam  and  electric  power.  Automatic 
processes  have  been  developed  and  the  output,  under  the  name  of  the  American 
Pin  Company,  is  sold  all  over  the  world. 

Its  construction  work  for  the  past  seventeen  years  is  the  best  evidence  of  its 
vast  growth. 


BENEDICT  &  BURXHAM  MANUFACTURING  COMPANY,  WATERBURY 


PLANT  OF  THE  WATERBURY  MANUFACTURING  COMPANY,  WATERBURY 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  229 

In  1900  it  erected  the  4-story  central  factory,  40  by  192,  at  a  cost  of  $25,000. 
In  1902  it  added  the  4-story  brick  factory,  40  by  36,  at  a  cost  of  $23,000.  in 
1903  the  new  foundry  building,  i-story  brick,  60  by  62,  was  put  up  in  Water- 
ville  at  a  cost  of  $15,000.  In  1904  the  casting  shop,  62  by  120,  was  added  to  the 
Waterville  plant.  This  was  followed  in  1905  with  a  2-story  brick  addition  53 
by  162  and  in  190O  with  the  large  4-story  brick,  53  by  257,  and  the  wing,  18  by 
23,  which  was  put  up  at  a  cost  of  $62,000.  In  1909  and  1910  the  2-story  brick 
buildings,  15  by  23  and  18  by  23,  were  added  to  the  plant.  In  1915  it  further 
iucreased  its  working  plant  by  a  1 -story  brick  building  containing  8,858  square 
feet. 

The  Oakville  Company,  organized  in  1852  by  Greene  Kendrick  with  a  capital 
stock  of  853,000,  has  grown  to  be  one  of  the  largest  organizations  of  its  kind  in 
the  country. 

From  the  start  of  a  few  low  buildings,  the  growth  has  been  very  satisfactory, 
as  the  plant  now  consists  of  several  brick  buildings,  ranging  from  one  to  five 
stories  in  height.  The  various  departments  are  equipped  with  the  latest  and  most 
approved  automatic  wire  machines,  and  all  needed  appliances  operated  by  either 
steam,  electricity  or  water,  and  lighted  by  electricity  supplied  by  the  companv's 
own  electric  plant. 

Its  construction  work  has  kept  pace  with  the  growth  of  its  business.  In  1900 
two  additions  of  brick,  one  4  stories,  40  by  45,  and  the  other  2  stories,  35  by  65, 
were  put  up.  In  1905  the  4-story  brick,  32  by  92,  and  a  i-story  brick,  18  by  81, 
were  added.  In  1907  and  1908  the  two  4-story  brick  buildings,  38  by  200,  and 
40  by  200,  were  added,  thus  giving  them  most  of  the  present  large  frontage  on 
the  main  road.  In  1909  and  1910  the  5-story  brick  building,  30  by  251,  was  added, 
and  in  1916  the  latest  5-story  was  put  up,  the  most  modern  of  all  the  equipment. 

It  now  employs  about  one  thousand  hands,  of  whom  40  per  cent  are  women. 

It  has  done  some  fine  work  in  the  way  of  securing  improved  housing  condi- 
tions for  its  employes  and  has  built  model  homes,  both  for  workmen  and  clerical 
help.    Ten  of  these  smaller  homes  are  now  under  construction. 

Elisha  Leavenworth  succeeded  to  the  presidency  on  the  death  of  Joseph  C. 
Welton  in  1874.  His  successor  was  E.  C.  Lewis,  who  was  succeeded  by  J.  Hobart 
Bronson,  who  still  occupies  that  position.  Mr.  Bronson  succeeded  Nathaniel 
H.  Perry  as  secretary  and  general  manager  in  1877,  becoming  president  on  Novem- 
ber 18,  1 90 1.  At  that  time  Walter  Place  was  secretary  and  the  directors  were  J.  H. 
Bronson,  Elisha  Leavenworth,  J.  S.  Elton,  H.  S.  Chase  and  J.  A.  Smith. 

The  present  directors  are :  H.  S.  Chase,  W.  E.  Fulton,  J.  R.  Smith,  Truman 
S.  Lewis,  George  Boden,  J.  Hobart  Bronson.  Its  present  officers  are :  J.  Hobart 
Bronson,  president  and  treasurer;  vice  president,  Henry  S.  Chase;  assistant 
treasurer,  Bennett  Bronson;  secretary,  George  Boden. 

Its  capitalization  is  $600,000. 

In  1909  there  were  employed  in  the  United  States  4,976  hands  in  the  pin, 
needle  and  hook  and  eye  business  of  the  country.  Waterbury  and  Torrington 
together  are  credited  with  nearly  half  of  these  employes.  The  proportion  has  not 
been  reduced  since  that  time.  The  three  concerns  in  Waterbury,  the  American 
Pin  Company,  the  Oakwell  Company  and  Plume  &  Atwood,  manufacture  con- 
servatively estimated,  one-half  of  all  the  pins  and  safety  pins  made  in  the  United 
States,  fully  as  large,  if  not  an  even  larger  percentage,  of  hooks  and  eyes  and 
some  needles.    Needles  are  also  made  at  Torrington  in  the  Naugatuck  Valley. 


CHAPTER  XIX 
MACHINE  SHOPS  AND  FOUNDRIES 

THE     WATERBURY      FARREL      FOUNDRY     &      MACHINE     COMPANY THE      WATERBURY 

MACHINE  COMPANY — THE  E.  J.   MANVILLE  MACHINE  COMPANY THE  BLAKE  & 

JOHNSON    COMPANY — THE    WATERBURY    TOOL    COMPANY — THE    LUDINGTON    CIG- 
ARETTE  MACHINE    COMPANY — THE   ROWBOTTOM    MACHINE    COMPANY — -ANDREW 

C.     CAMPBELL,     INC. HENDERSON     BROTHERS SEYMOUR     SMITH     &     SON THE 

MANUFACTURERS   FOUNDRY   COMPANY THE  WATERBURY    CASTINGS   COMPANY 

THE    METAL  SPECIALTIES   COMPANY THE   ATLAS    MACHINE    COMPANY — WATER- 
BURY   STANDARD    TOOL    AND    MACHINE    COMPANY WATERBURY    PRESSED    METAL 

AND  TOOL  COMPANY. 

The  plant  of  the  present  Waterbury  Farrel  Foundry  &  Machine  Company 
was  started  in  1851,  and  in  1857  was  conducted  in  connection  with  the  Ansonia 
Foundry  under  the  name  of  the  Farrel  Foundry  &  Machine  Company,  and  so 
continued  until  1880.  when  the  Farrels  sold  out.  In  the  latter  year  the  present 
company  was  organized  as  the  Waterbury  Farrel  Foundry  &  Machine  Company, 
with  E.  C.  Lewis  as  president,  Wm.  E.  Fulton  as  secretary,  and  George  B.  Lam- 
har  as  superintendent. 

The  men  at  the  head  of  affairs  have  been  with  the  company  for  many  years. 
William  E.  Fulton  is  president,  David  C.  Griggs  secretary  and  William  S.  Fulton 
is  treasurer.     Its  capital  is  $440,000. 

It  has  constructed  eleven  factory  buildings  on  its  present  site  since  1900.  In 
1 001  a  four  story  brick  factory  building  48  by  196  was  erected.  In  1902  the  three 
story  brick  and  steel  factory  47  by  194  was  put  up.  It  has  built  additions  nearly 
every  year,  those  in  the  period  from!  1915  to  1917  summing  up  approximately 
$150,000. 

The  Waterbury  Farrel  Foundry  &  Machine  Company  designs  and  builds  rolling 
mill  machinery,  for  brass,  copper,  and  German  silver,  brass  tube  and  wire 
machinery,  hydraulic  presses,  power  presses,  drop  presses,  foot  presses,  cartridge 
and  special  machinery,  and  rivet  machines  for  making  automatically  rivets,  bolts 
and  screw  blanks. 

In  the  two  plants  it  now  employs  about  eight  hundred  hands. 

Edward  C.  Lewis,  formerly  president  of  the  Waterbury  Farrel  Foundry  & 
Machine  Company,  was  one  of  the  best  known  manufacturers  in  this  section.  He 
came  to  Waterbury  in  the  early  '50s  to  manage  the  branch  of  what  was  then 
known  as  the  Ansonia  Farrel  Foundry  &  Machine  Company.  He  died  October 
24,  1901.  and  at  that  time  was  a  director  in  the  Dime  Savings  Bank,  one  of  the 
original  projectors  of  the  Manufacturers  Bank,  president  of  the  Oakville  Com- 
pany, a  director  in  the  Benedict  &  Burnham  Company,  the  Plume  &  Atwood  Com- 
pany and  the  Holmes,  Booth  &  Haydens  Company. 

THE    WATERBURY   MACHINE   COMPANY 

The  Waterbury  Machine  Company,  reorganized  in  1885,  capital  $60,000,  was 
originally  located  in  Oakville,  and  was  moved  to  Waterbury  in   1891.     In  1893 

230 


W'ATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  231 

its  officers  were  William  E.  Fulton,  president;  George  B.  Lamb,  treasurer;  R.  S. 
YVotkyns,  secretary.  In  1911  it  was  taken  over  as  an  adjunct  corporation  of  the 
Waterbury  Farrel  Foundry  &  .Machine  Company,  the  plants  being-  operated  under 
one  management  and  with  identical  outputs.  It  has,  however,  still  a  separate  cor- 
porate organization.  At  present  on  its  old  site  the  two  companies  are  putting  up 
a  large  extension  with  a  two  story  front  on  Bank  Street,  and  a  one  story  build- 
ing on  .Meadow  Street.     Its  capital  remains  at  $(K),000. 

Its  officers  at  present  are:  President,  William  E.  Fulton;  secretary,  William 
1).  Pierson ;  treasurer,  William  S.  Fulton. 

The  company  manufactures  automatic  machines  of  great  ingenuity,  such  as 
automatic  machinery  for  making  hinges  and  butts.  The  machines  for  making 
screw  blanks  and  nut  blanks  are  particularly  complete  and  show  the  advance  that 
has  been  made  in  the  way  of  automatic  devices. 

THE   E.  J.  MANVILLE  MACHINE  COMPANY 

The  E.  J.  Manville  Machine  Company  was  established  by  Eli  J.  Manville  Sep- 
tember 15,  1878.  He  invented  various  machines,  of  which  the  best  known  are 
the  planer  and  shaper  called  the  ''Hendey,"  the  cold  reducing  machine  to  reduce 
the  size  of  wire,  which  brought  into  existence  the  Excelsior  Needle  Company  of 
Torrington,  and  the  safety  pin  machine,  the  building  of  which  was  the  starting 
point  of  the  E.  J.  Manville  Machine  Company.  Mr.  Manville  was  the  president 
of  the  company  until  his  death  in  1886. 

On  October  6,  1886,  the  concern  was  incorporated,  capital  $25,000,  with  E.  J. 
Manville  as  president,  which  position  he  held  only  twenty- four  days;  R.  C.  Man- 
ville, treasurer;  W.  W.  Manville,  secretary,  and  F.  B.  Manville,  F.  J.  Manville 
and  G.  H.  Manville,  directors. 

In  1896  the  Manvilles  sold  out  and  Martin  H.  Brennan  became  president  and 
manager,  with  D.  T.  Hart  as  treasurer.  Charles  T.  Brennan  is  now  secretary 
and  superintendent.     Its  capital  now  is  $100,000. 

The  company  is  now  extensively  engaged  in  making  direct-acting,  double 
stroke,  solid  die  cold  heading  and  bolt  machines,  the  bolt  head  trimming  machines, 
thread  rolling  machines  and  the  automatic  Duplex  belt-cutting  machine.  The 
Manville  Company  designed  all  the  automatic  machinery  for  the  Ford  Automo- 
bile Company. 

The  original  factory  was  on  Benedict  Street.  The  company  removed  to  Meadow 
Street  in  1886,  and  in  1904  to  the  present  location,  where  they  have  a  frontage  of 
300  feet  on.  East  Main  Street,  with  a  depth  of  325  feet.  The  buildings  are  in 
part  j'j  stories  in  height  and  partially  of  sawtooth  construction.  The  factory 
has  about  two  acres  of  floor  space,  and  employs  300  people,  mostly  skilled 
machinists.  . 

In  1904  the  Manville  Company  put  up  five  of  its  factory  buildings.  Extensions 
were  made  in  19 10  and  H)\-\.     Additional  construction  work  is  now  going  on. 

Tilt:  BLAKE  &  JOHNSON    COMPANY 

Blake  &  Johnson,  which  was  organized  on  February  17,  1852,  with  a  capital  of 
$8,000.  is  one  of  the  historic  industrial  concerns  of  the  city,  with  an  unbroken 
record  of  success.  In  1894  it  was  located  on  East  Main  Street  and  its  officers 
were :  President  and  treasurer,  Orville  H.  Stevens ;  secretary,  R.  R.  Stannard. 
On  November  17,  1894.  Mr.  Stevens  died  and  James  S.  Elton  succeeded  to  the 


232      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

presidency  and  Mr.  Stannard  to  the  treasurership.  The  directors  were  then  F.  J. 
Kingsbury,  James  S.  Elton,  C.  N.  Wayland,  and  R.  R.  Stannard. 

In  1898  Franklin  A.  Taylor  became  secretary,  remaining  until  October  10, 
1899,  when  he  resigned  to  join  the  Randoph  &  Clowes  forces,  Robert  P.  Lewis 
succeeding  him.  In  1899  Mr.  Stannard  succeeded  to  the  presidency,  which  posi- 
tion he  held  until  his  death,  January  4,  1906.  John  P.  Elton  succeeded  to  the 
presidency,  which  position  he  still  holds.  In  1914  Lancaster  P.  Clark  was  made 
secretary  and  general  manager.  In  January,  1917,  Charles  E.  Stevens,  son  of 
its  former  president,  became  secretary,  which  position  he  still  holds.  Mr.  Clark 
is  now  treasurer  and  general  manager. 

On  May  3,  1906,  Blake  &  Johnson  changed  its  name  to  The  Blake  &  Johnson 
Company.  On  January  30,  1908,  its  capital  was  increased  to  $120,000.  On 
February  3,  19 14,  it  was  again  increased  to  $200,000. 

The  company  operates  two  plants.  Its  manufacturing  division  is  located  at 
1495  Thomaston  Avenue,  where  its  output  is  rivets,  screws,  studs,  nuts,  wire 
forms,  cotter  pins,  screw  machine  products,  piano,  organ  and  player  hardware, 
and  specialties  from  wire  and  rod. 

In  its  machinery  division  at  173  North  Elm  Street  it  makes  threaders  for  roll- 
ing threads,  headers  for  making  rivets,  presses,  grinders,  slitters  and  formers  for 
wire  forming. 

It  employs  about  four  hundred  hands. 

The  Blake  &  Johnson  Company  erected  its  new  plant  at  Waterville  in  1909. 
This  consists  of  a  factory  building  of  brick  and  concrete  construction,  200  by  260 
feet  in  size,  one  story  with  basement,  and  a  power  plant,  also  of  brick  and  con- 
crete, one  story  and  basement  50  by  80  feet  in  size;  cost  $150,000. 

It  built  a  two  story  addition  in  1914  and  is  at  present  making  still  further 
improvements. 

THE  WATERBURY  TOOL   COMPANY 

The  Waterbury  Tool  Company  was  incorporated  in  September,  1898,  by 
Horace  G.  Hoadley,  who  has  been  its  president  and  treasurer  since  that  time.  Its 
capital  is  $280,000.  It  began  building  the  Universal  ratchet  drill  invented  by 
Prof.  Harvey  D.  Williams  of  Cornell.  This  was  perfected  by  Reynold  Janney, 
who  has  been  vice  president  and  chief  engineer  of  the  company  since  1904.  Its 
hydraulic  machines  for  transmitting  power  at  variable  speeds  are  now  used  for 
turret  turning,  gun-elevating,  shell  hoists  and  powder  hoists,  rammers,  main 
steering  gear,  and  to  control  submarine  diving  rudders. 

This  business  was  started  on  the  top  floor  of  the  factory  of  the  New  Britain 
Machine  Company  in  that  city.  Later  the  present  site  on  East  Aurora  Street, 
Waterbury,  was  bought  and  a  large  factory  was  built.  The  main  building  is  120 
by  212  feet,  and  one  of  the  best  equipped  structures  in  the  country. 

The  company  has  built  for  rental  to  its  employes  nine  one- family  frame 
houses  on  the  part  of  its  10-acre  shop  site  most  distant  from  the  present  machine 
shop.  A  40-foot  street  has  been  laid  out  and  the  houses  built  on  both  sides  of  it. 
They  are  of  five  dissimilar  types  so  that  the  group  does  not  have  the  appearance 
of  factory  houses.  They  are  of  five  and  six  rooms,  on  lots  50  by  120  feet,  and 
have  city  water,  bathrooms,  hot-air  furnaces,  electric  light  and  arrangements  for 
sewage  disposal  by  means  of  septic  tanks.  The  company  has  also  built,  for  rental 
to  foremen,  on  lots  60  by  140  feet,  within  fifteen  minutes'  walk  of  the  shop,  two 
twin  houses  with  modern  improvements. 

The  officials  of  the  Waterbury  Tool  Company  are  Horace  G.  Hoadley,  presi- 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY      233 

dent  and  treasurer ;  Reynold  Janney,  vice  president  and  chief  engineer ;  Charles 
P.  Haight,  secretary  and  assistant  treasurer,  and  William  S.  Wilkinson,  superin- 
tendent. 

THE  LUDINGTON    CIGARETTE    MACHINE    COMPANY 

The  Ludington  Cigarette  Machine  Company  was  incorporated  for  $50,000  in 
1909.  Its  first  officers  were  Frank  J.  Ludington,  president;  F.  E.  Ludington,  vice 
president,  and  V.  M.  Shaw,  secretary.  The  death  of  F.  J.  Ludington  occurred 
in  the  year  of  the  company's  organization  and  his  nephew,  F.  W.  Ludington,  suc- 
ceeded. At  present  the  officers  are  F.  W.  Ludington,  president;  F.  C.  Cannon, 
vice  president,  and  F.  E.  Ludington,  secretary  and  treasurer. 

The  company  manufactures  cigarette  and  tobacco  machinery,  the  basic  inven- 
tions being  the  creations  of  its  founder,  Frank  J.  Ludington.  These  proved  epoch- 
making  and  profitable  and  the  business  he  created,  though  at  first  small,  expanded 
rapidly  and  was  eventually  incorporated  shortly  before  his  death.  From  1907 
the  company  occupied  first  two  and  later  three  floors  in  the  T.  F.  Jackson  loft 
building  on  Printers'  Court,  now  the  Republican  Building,  but  by  November,  1917, 
it  had  outgrown  these  quarters  and  announced  its  intention  of  erecting  a  plant  on 
the  Watertown  Road,  next  to  the  New  Haven  Dairy  Company,  to  consist  of  one 
long  two  story  and  basement  factory  building. 

On  January  31,  1917,  the  company's  capital  was  increased  to  $350,000. 

THE   ROWBOTTOM   MACHINE   COMPANY 

The  Rowbottom  Machine  Company  was  organized  June  1,  1902,  capital 
$10,000.  Its  first  officers  were  George  Rowbottom,  president;  W.  A.  Robbins, 
vice  president,  and  Hugh  A.  Pendlebury,  secretary  and  treasurer.  It  started  in 
a  little  wooden  building  as  manufacturers  of  special  automatic  machinery.  In 
1903  it  bought  a  small  piece  of  ground  and  built  a  small  brick  factory.  In  1905 
it  built  the  first  large  addition,  following  it  in  191 1  with  another  addition.  In 
1912  it  purchased  the  business  of  the  Manville  Bros.  Company,  machinery  build- 
ers. Tn  191 5  the  company  more  than  doubled  all  its  space,  and  now  has  19,500 
square  feet  of  floor  space  in  mill  construction  buildings.  The  company  owns  three 
acres  of  ground,  and  a  plant  equipped  with  electric  power,  individual  motors  and 
sprinkler  system.     It  employs  about  seventy-five  skilled  mechanics. 

It  has  developed  automatic  machinery  of  various  kinds,  including  one  of  the 
first  successful  machines  for  making  high  grade  cigarettes,  with  a  capacity  of  450 
per  minute,  a  machine  for  sewing  hooks  and  eyes  on  cards,  turning  out  three  cards 
of  two  dozen  hooks  and  eyes  per  minute ;  also  tube  forming  machinery,  box 
machinery,  disc  grinding  machinery,  automatic  button  machinery,  and  tube  bend- 
ing machinery.  It  now  builds  and  sells  a  universal  coin  milling  machine  which 
will  mill  any  style  of  coin.  The  company  does  a  large  business  for  the  trade  in 
milling  coins,  medals,  etc.,  and  their  business  in  this  particular  covers  the  two 
Americas. 

ANDREW    C.    CAMPP.ELL,    [INCORPORATED 

Andrew  C.  Campbell,  Inc.,  was  chartered  in  1912,  with  a  capital  of  $50,000. 
The  following  are  the  officers :  President,  Andrew  C.  Campbell ;  secretary,  W. 
Wheeler;  Treasurer,  Walter  15.  Lasher,  of  liridgeport. 


234  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Mr.  Campbell  has  designed  some  of  the  most  successfully  operated  machines 
in  America  and  in  191 2  opened  his  own  plant  to  manufacture  his  latest  machinery 
for  the  lightning  manufacture  of  the  cotter  pin  a  split  pin  used  very  extensively, 
especially  in  the  making  of  automobiles. 

In  1 91 6  the  American  Chain  Company  of  Bridgeport,  makers  of  the  Weed 
tire  chain,  needing  Mr.  Campbell's  services,  purchased  the  plant,  but  operates  it 
under  the  former  corporation  name.  It  has  recently  purchased  two  adjoining 
lots,  and  will  at  once  extend  the  factory  erected  in  1913  by  Mr.  Campbell.  Mr. 
Campbell  is  now  designing  some  of  the  machinery  needed  in  the  emergency  fleet 
equipment  works  of  the  American  Chain  Company's  plant  at  Norfolk,  Va.  The 
output  of  cotter  pins  at  the  Waterbury  plant  is  nearly  a  million  daily.  Sixty  men 
are  employed. 

Mr.  Campbell  has  been  a  very  prolific  inventor,  having  taken  out  thirty-six 
patents  from  1880  to  1912. 

The  DeLong  Company  of  Philadelphia  contracted  with  the  E.  J.  Manville 
Machine  Company  for  twenty-two  machines  to  turn  out  their  hooks  at  higher 
speed.  Their  last  machine  was  designed  by  Andrew  C.  Campbell  and  turned  out 
240  "see  that  hump"  hooks  per  minute.  The  model  or  first  machine  was  run  at 
300  hooks  per  minute  and  was  the  fastest  machine  of  the  kind  in  the  world. 
The  adjustable  treadle,  made  by  the  Waterbury  Farrel  Foundry  &  Machine  Com- 
pany for  its  presses  was  the  invention  of  A.  C.  Campbell  and  is  still  put  out  with 
the  firm's  presses. 

The  machine  put  out  by  the  E.  J.  Manville  Machine  Company  for  a  special 
assembling  operation  on  shoe  shanks  was  a  Campbell  invention.  The  E.  J.  Man- 
ville Machine  Company's  double  stroke  header,  which  has  been  the  biggest  kind 
of  a  money-maker  and  time  saver,  was  also  a  Campbell  invention.  The  same  firm 
also  made  the  machine  designed  by  Campbell  for  making  bicycle  nipples.  After 
an  infringement  fight  in  which  the  Manville  Company  won  out,  this  patent  was 
sold  to  the  Excelsior  Needle  Company  of  Torrington.  The  Manville  success  with 
screw  slotting  machines  began  with  the  machines  designed  by  Mr.  Campbell. 

Andrew  C.  Campbell  also  designed  for  John  Granger  of  Philadelphia  the 
machine  to  make  the  "Granger"  dress  hook.  It  is  able  to  turn  out  the  hooks  at 
the  rate  of  150  per  minute. 

The  ball  heading  machines  which  turns  out  125  balls  per  minute  were  designed 
by  Campbell,  and  are  in  use  all  over  the  country. 

HENDERSON    BROTHERS 

Henderson  Brothers,  machinists,  organized  in  1880  with  John  and  Alexander 
Henderson  as  firm  members.  Ten  years  later  the  business  was  reorganized  under 
the  name  of  Henderson  &  Baird  Company,  with  John  Henderson,  Thomas  Hen- 
derson and  Joseph  H.  Baird  as  incorporators,  and  with  a  capital  of  $20,000.  In 
1884,  it  removed  to  133  South  Leonard  Street,  where  the  company  has  two  build- 
ings, one  of  which  is  two  stories  in  height  and  the  other  one  story.  With  the 
withdrawal  of  Mr.  Baird  partnership  relations  were  resumed.  The  company  is 
now  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  patent  elevators  and  tumbling  barrels,  the 
latter  being  the  invention  of  John  Henderson.    About  twenty  people  are  employed. 

THE   SEYMOUR   SMITH    &   SON,   INCORPORATED 

The  Seymour  Smith  &  Son  (Inc.)  of  Oakville  was  incorporated  December 
31,  191 2,  capital  $25,000,  succeeding  Seymour  Smith  &  Son,  established  in  1872. 


VVATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  235 

Seymour  Smith,  the  founder  of  the  business,  had  one  son,  William  II.,  who 
became  the  associate  and  afterward  the  successor  of  his  father,  continuing  the 
business  of  manufacturing  pruning  implements  of  various  kinds  and  descriptions 
which  are  largely  sent  to  a  foreign  field.     It  employs  thirty  hands. 

The  present  officers  are  William  II.  Smith,  president;  Ella  R.  Smith,  secre- 
tary, and  ( ieorge  II.  Smith,  treasurer. 

MIK    MANUFACTURERS   FOUNDRY    COMPANY 

The  Manufacturers  Foundry  Company  was  incorporated  in  January,  1900, 
with  a  capital  of  $10,000.  Its  first  officers  were:  President,  Henry  D.  Beach; 
secretary  and  manager,  Edward  W.  Beach ;  treasurer,  Charles  F.  Bronson.  From 
the  outset,  its  special  castings  for  chemical  work  gave  it  a  reputation  throughout 
the  east.  It  is  now  making  exclusively  high  grade  motor  cylinder  castings  for 
autos  and  aeroplanes. 

In  [90*5  its  capital  had  been  increased  to  $50,000  and  its  officers  were:  George 
\V.  Beach,  president;  Edward  W.  Beach,  secretary  and  treasurer;  F.  C.  Fromm, 
assistant  treasurer.     In  the  following  year  Air.  Fromm  became  treasurer. 

In  1908  the  capital  was  increased  to  $100,000,  and  in  1909  the  officers  were: 
S.  E.  Hopkins,  president;  secretary,  Edward  W.  Beach;  treasurer,  F.  C.  Fromm. 

The  capital  of  the  company  in  1917  is  $200,000,  and  its  officers  are:  Presi- 
dent, S.  E.  Hopkins ;  vice  president,  E.  W.  Beach ;  secretary  and  treasurer,  F.  C. 
Fromm. 

Practically  the  entire  plant  has  been  built  in  the  last  twelve  years,  since  it 
moved  from  its  location  on  Benedict  Street  to  its  present  site  on  Railroad  Hill, 
near  Eagle  Street.  It  has  taken  a  number  of  years  to  develop  the  grade  of  gray 
iron  castings  now  made  exclusively  by  the  company. 

In  1904  it  erected  two  two-story  brick  buildings,  one  80  by  170  and  the  other 
2j  by  34.  In  1906  two  additions  were  erected.  In  1907  and  1908  four  steel  and 
concrete  structures  were  added.  In  1909  and  1910  one  further  addition  was 
made. 

In  1913  and  1914  four  of  its  buildings  were  put  up.  Some  further  additions 
were  made  in  1916  and  191 7. 

THE  WATERRURY  FOUNDRY  COMPANY 

The  Waterbury  Foundry  Company  was  incorporated  in  1907  with  a  capital 
of  $140,000.  taking  over  the  business  of  B.  H.  Fry  &  Company  and  the  factory 
erected  by  that  firm  in  1904.  Until  his  death  in  191 1,  Benj.  H.  Fry  was  presi- 
dent of  the  Waterbury  Foundry  Company  with  Arthur  A.  Tanner,  secretary. 
The  latter  succeeded  to  the  position  of  president  and  treasurer,  which  he  still 
holds.  The  vice  president  in  19 17  is  John  S.  Neagle,  and  the  secretary,  C.  F. 
Fiederman. 

No  large  additions  have  been  made  to  the  plant  since  1912,  although  the 
capacity  of  the  foundry  has  been  greatly  increased  by  recent  important  alterations. 

THE  WATERBURY  CASTINGS  COMPANY 

The  Waterbury  Castings  Company  was  organized  in  njoj.  J.  R.  Smith  was 
president ;  P.  A.  Piatt,  vice  president;  C.  S.  Bull,  treasurer;  and  George  E.  Camp, 
secretary. 


236  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

The  plant  is  on  Railroad  Hill  Street  and  covers  four  acres.  Its  capital  is 
$100,000.  It  has  a  one  story  foundry  of  mill  construction,  with  22,000  square 
feet  of  floor  space.  There  are  175  employes,  of  whom  50  per  cent  are  skilled. 
It  is  a  jobbing  foundry  with  a  capacity  of  twenty-five  tons  of  castings  daily.  The 
product  is  sold  in  Waterbury  and  to  outside  points. 

THE   METAL   SPECIALTIES   COMPANY 

The  Metal  Specialties  Company  was  organized  June  7,  1912,  capital  $25,000, 
with  John  W.  Potter,  president ;  Clark  Lewis,  treasurer ;  A.  L.  Schwartz,  secre- 
tary and  general  manager;  and  Cyrus  T.  Gray,  director. 

In  October,  1913,  Harris  W.  Langley  became  secretary,  and  with  the  resig- 
nation of  Mr.  Potter,  Mr.  Gray  became  president  in  February,  1914.  In  April, 
1915,  Mr.  Lewis  and  Mr.  Langley  both  resigned  and  H.  H.  Heminway  was 
elected  treasurer  and  Charles  Bronson  secretary.  In  February,  191 7,  Mr.  Hemin- 
way became  secretary  and  treasurer,  while  Mr.  Gray  remains  as  president. 

The  company  began  business  at  No.  23  Jefferson  Street,  occupying  a  part  of 
a  room  on  the  third  floor.  In  19 15  it  took  two  rooms  on  the  top  and  on  the  lower 
floor,  and  on  January  1,  1916,  began  occupying  the  entire  building.  On  the  1st 
of  April,  191 7,  it  moved  into  its  new  building  on  East  Aurora  Street.  This  is 
120  by  190,  with  an  addition  30  by  40  feet,  is  of  sawtooth  mill  construction, 
equipped  with  sprinkler  system  and  electric  power. 

The  company  manufactures  snap  buttons,  burnishing  and  bearing  balls,  special 
rivets,  metal  novelties,  selling  to  jobbers.    It  employs  sixty  to  seventy-five  people. 

THE   ATLAS    MACHINE  COMPANY 

The  Atlas  Machine  Company  was  incorporated  in  March,  1906,  with  a  capital 
of  $10,000,  which  in  1910  was  increased  to  $50,000.  Its  officers  are :  President 
and  treasurer,  Adam  Callan ;  secretary,  Carlton  F.  Atwood. 

Its  output  consists  largely  of  metal  and  wire  working  machinery. 

THE   WATERBURY    STANDARD   TOOL   AND    MACHINE    COMPANY 

The  Waterbury  Standard  Tool  and  Machine  Company  was  incorporated 
February  20,  1913,  with  a  capital  of  $10,000,  its  officers  being  Jeremiah  W. 
Phelps,  president  and  treasurer;  John  B.  Doherty,  secretary.  It  manufactures 
automatic  machinery  of  all  kinds,  but  more  especially  that  used  for  the  making 
of  watch  parts,  and  the  output  is  classed  among  the  most  perfect  in  the  country. 
The  company  occupies  two  floors  of  its  five-story  building  at  31  Canal  Street. 
Mr.  Phelps  has  built  up  a  thriving  business,  as  he  is  looked  upon  as  one  of  the 
watch  machinery  experts  of  the  country. 

THE   WATERBURY    PRESSED    METAL   AND   TOOL    COMPANY 

The  Waterbury  Pressed  Metal  and  Tool  Company  was  incorporated  February, 
1916,  with  a  capital  of  $25,000.  Its  president  and  treasurer,  Alfred  L.  Schwartz, 
was  for  many  years  general  manager  and  secretary  of  the  Metal  Specialty  Com- 
pany. The  secretary  of  the  new  company  is  Ernest  A.  Austin.  Its  output  is  tool 
and  machine  work  and  all  classes  of  metal  stampings. 


CHAPTER  XX 
OTHER  MANUFACTURING  CORPORATIONS 

THE  INTERNATIONAL  SILVER  COMPANY — THE  AMERICAN  MILLS  COMPANY — THE 
WATERBURY  PAPER  BOX  COMPANY — THE  WHITE  &  WELLS  COMPANY — THE  KALB- 
FLEISCH  CORPORATION — THE  WATERBURY  BATTERY  COMPANY — THE  WILLIAMS 
SEALING  CORPORATION — THE  WATERBURY  JEWEL  COMPANY — THE  AUTOYRE  COM- 
PANY— THE  LANE  MANUFACTURING  COMPANY WATERVILLE  CUTLERY  COMPANY 

— THE  MORDEN  MANUFACTURING  COMPANY — THE  H.  L.  WELCH  HOSIERY  COM- 
PANY— THE  WATERBURY  INSTRUMENT  COMPx\NY THE  WATERBURY  ICE  COR- 
PORATION  THE  SPRING  LAKE  ICE  COMPANY — THE  HELLMAN  BREWING  COM- 
PANY— THE  EAGLE  BREWING  COMPANY — FEW  MANUFACTURING  LOSSES. 

The  Bristol  Company  was  organized  in  1889  as  a  partnership  by  \V.  H.,  B.  H. 
and  F.  B.  Bristol.  It  was  incorporated  in  1894  with  a  capital  of  $10,000.  W.  H. 
Bristol  was  the  organizer  and  founder  of  the  business,  and  with  the  exception  of 
a  short  interval  has  been  president  since  incorporation.  The  company  began  to 
manufacture  recording  steam  gauges  and  steel  belt  lacing.  Business  has  now 
been  expanded  to  cover  every  kind  of  recording  instrument,  covering  over  two 
thousand  different  uses.  The  invention  of  Prof.  W.  H.  Bristol  formed  the  basis 
of  the  Bristol  Company's  success.  He  has  a  record  of  over  one  hundred  inven- 
tions, all  of  them  in  the  line  of  recording  instruments.  His  electric  pyrometer 
is  perhaps  the  most  important.  Business  was  begun  in  a  little  wooden  building  in 
Platts  Mills  and  since  1894  additions  have  from  time  to  time  been  made  to  the 
the  present  factory  until  the  company  now  has  175,000  square  feet  of  floor  space. 
The  buildings  are  from  one  to  six  stories  in  height,  nearly  all  of  mill  construc- 
tion, with  sprinkler  system. 

The  company  employs  over  four  hundred  people,  all  highly  skilled  labor.  Its 
product  is  sold  all  over  the  civilized  world.  It  has  branch  offices  in  Boston,  New 
York,  Pittsburgh,  Chicago,  San  Francisco  and  agencies  in  all  foreign  countries. 

At  the  Panama  Exposition  in  San  Francisco  the  Bristol  Company  received 
the  highest  possible  award  on  their  whole  line. 

The  officers  are:  W.  H.  Bristol,  president;  Harris  Whittemore,  treasurer; 
S.  R.  Bristol,  secretary. 

In  1908  E.  H.,  B.  B.  and  B.  H.  Bristol  sold  out  their  interest  to  the  Bristol 
Company  and  moved  to  Foxboro,  Mass.,  where  they  established  the  Foxboro 
Company,  which  is  still  in  business  there  making  recording  instruments. 

THE   INTERNATIONAL   SILVER    COMPANY 

The  International  Silver  Company  of  New  Jersey  in  1899  succeeded  to  both 
Rogers  &  Brother  and  the  Rogers  &  Hamilton  Company,  occupying  at  the  present 
time  the  Rogers  &  Brother  plant.  The  Rogers  &  Hamilton  Company's  new  plant 
on  Griggs  Street  remained  vacant  until  1907  when  it  was  taken  over  by  the  Noera 
Company. 

237 


238  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Rogers  &  Brother,  established  in  Hartford  in  1847,  nad  removed  to  Water- 
bury  in  1858.  The  Rogers  &  Hamilton  Company  was  established  with  a  capital 
of  $50,000  February  14,  1886. 

The  plant  is  officially  known  as  International  Factory  Company,  Factory  J., 
but  passes  locally  as  "the  spoon  shop."  It  has  been  greatly  enlarged  since  the 
consolidation  and  still  manufactures  the  *  Rogers  &  Bro.  A-i  brand  of  silver 
plated  ware.     These  goods  are  sold  all  over  the  world. 

In  the  Waterbury  factory  about  six  hundred  hands  are  employed.  The  secre- 
tary of  the  International  Silver  Company,  George  Rockwell,  is  general  manager 
of  the  Waterbury  plant. 

Four  buildings  have  been  erected  since  1907  and  further  improvements  are 
now  contemplated. 

THE  AMERICAN    MILLS    COMPANY 

The  American  Mills  Company,  which  was  organized  in  1881,  was  incorporated 
on  November  19,  T909,  with  a  capital  of  $150,000  and  with  its  present  executive, 
Archer  J.  Smith,  as  president.  On  July  7,  1914,  the  business  was  extended  to 
include  the  New  Haven  Web  Company,  Hamden,  Conn.,  and  the  Narrow  Fabric 
Corporation,  New  Haven,  the  capitalization  being  $1,200,000. 

In  the  Waterbury  plant  of  the  company  250  hands  are  at  present  employed. 

Its  officers  are :  President,  Archer  J.  Smith ;  vice  president,  F.  M.  Chambers, 
of  New  Haven;  secretary,  C.  B.  Twitchell,  of  New  Haven;  assistant  treasurer, 
I.  B.  Smith.  It  manufactures  narrow  elastic  and  non-elastic  fabrics,  and  its 
trade  is  now  worldwide. 

Its  largest  building  in  the  Waterbury  plant  is  just  being  completed,  a  two- 
story  and  basement  factory  addition,  300  feet  long.  The  building  is  also  to  con- 
tain the  offices  of  the  company. 

Its  newer  construction  work  began  in  1904  and  in  1910  it  put  up  a  large  two- 
story  and  basement  brick  and  steel  structure,  size  64  by  191,  and  a  one-story  brick 
addition. 


THE   WATERBURY  PAPER  BOX   COMPANY 

For  many  years  the  paper  box  industry  has  been  an  important  one  in  Water- 
bury, large  numbers  of  the  boxes  used  for  perfumery,  cutlery,  silverware  and 
toilet  articles  being  manufactured  here  and  shipped  to  the  makers  of  these  articles 
elsewhere,  as  well  as  druggists'  boxes  and  boxes  for  the  local  factories. 

The  factory  of  R.  E.  Hitchcock  &  Company  was  one  of  the  old  landmarks  of 
Waterbury  industrial  life.  Situated  on  Canal  Street,  it  gave  employment  to  over 
one  hundred  people.  Mr.  Hitchcock  was  succeeded  by  his  partner  and  son-in- 
law,  Arthur  C.  Northrop,  under  whose  regime  the  business  grew  and  developed 
until  some  of  the  finest  box  work  of  the  country  was  done  in  this  factory,  espe- 
cially the  fancy  boxes  used  by  leading  perfumers  for  putting  up  their  goods.  The 
property  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  present  owners  in  1901  and  received  its 
present  namte,  that  of  the  Waterbury  Paper  Box  Company.  Since  that  time  it 
has  doubled  itself  and  now  employs  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  hands.  Its 
capital  was  $25,000.  increased  January  27,  1914,  to  $50,000. 

A  plot  of  ground  on  South  Leonard  Street  was  secured,  and  in  1904  a  com- 
modious and  convenient  building,  designed  especially  to  meet  the  needs,  was 
erected. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  239 

One  of  the  departments  of  the  Waterbury  Paper  Box  Company  which  has 
always  been  a  very  important  one  is  its  printing  department,  which  also  occupies 
a  portion  of  the  office  floor.  Established  in  the  first  place  to  meet  the  needs  of 
the  factory  itself,  in  the  way  of  labels,  box  tops,  etc.,  the  work  soon  grew  and 
developed  until  line  job  printing  became  a  regular  feature  of  the  company's  work. 

In  1913  a  60-foot  addition  was  built,  mill  construction,  giving  the  company 
a  300- foot  frontage. 

Its  goods  are  sold  all  over  the  United  States  to  perfumery,  toilet  goods  and 
silverware  manufacturers. 

Marry  11.  Ileminway  is  president,  and  William  H.  Beers,  secretary  and 
treasurer. 

THE  WHITE  &  WELLS  COMPANY 

The  White  &  Wells  Company  was  a  partnership  until  1895,  when  the  third  in 
direct  descent  from  the  founder  of  the  business,  James  White,  incorporated  it 
for  $50,000.  Its  officers  were :  George  L.  White,  president  and  treasurer ;  C.  H. 
White,  vice  president ;  W.  E.  Norris,  secretary. 

The  factory  at  Naugatuck  was  run  in  addition  to  the  old  plant  at  214  Bank- 
Street.  On  December  1,  1914,  George  L.  White,  who  had  inherited  the  business 
from  his  father,  died  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  William  Henry  White. 
Its  secretary  is  W.  E.  Treat.  The  two  large  factory  buildings  in  Waterbury 
are  now  headquarters  for  a  plant  that  has  well-established  branches  in  Nau- 
gatuck, Bridgeport  and  New  Haven.    There  has  been  no  increase  in  capitalization. 

THE    KALBFLEISCH    CORPORATION 

The  Kalbfleisch  Corporation  of  New  York,  one  of  the  largest  manufacturers 
of  acids  and  heavy  chemicals  in  the  United  States,  has  one  of  its  most  important 
plants  in  Waterbury,  located  on  Railroad  Hill  Street,  near  Eagle  Street,  and 
employing  120  hands.  It  began  the  construction  of  a  local  plant  in  1904,  with  a 
one-story  brick  factory  50  by  185.  This  has  been  enlarged  from  year  to  year, 
with  further  improvements  now  in  progress.  Seven  buildings  with  a  total  front- 
age of  nearly  800  feet  comprise  the  plant  today. 

The  local  manager  is  J.  A.  Garde.  The  officers  of  the  New  York  company 
are:  President,  F.  H.  Kalbfleisch;  vice  president,  R.  S.  Perry;  treasurer,  A.  B. 
Savage ;  secretary,  Richard  Sheldrick,  all  of  New  York. 

Until  May,  191 7,  it  was  known  as  the  Franklin  H.  Kalbfleisch  Company. 
At  that  time  it  was  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  New  Jersey  as  the  Kalbfleisch 
Corporation. 

It  manufactures  sulphuric,  muriatic  and  nitric  acids,  all  chemicals  used  by 
silk,  cotton  and  wool  manufacturers  in  dyes,  replacing  much  of  that  nature  for- 
merly imported  from  Germany. 

WATERBURY    BATTERY    COMPANY 

The  Waterbury  Battery  Company  was  incorporated  in  1899  with  a  capital 
of  $125,000,  to  manufacture  opened  and  closed  circuit  batteries  and  to  handle 
battery  zincs  and  battery  materials.  Its  president  and  treasurer  has  been  and 
is  Charles  B.  Schoenmehl.  Its  vice  president  and  general  manager  is  E.  E. 
Hudson,  and  its  secretary  and  factory  manager  is  M.  L.  Mattus.  At  present  the 
company  employs  about  a  hundred  hands. 


240  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Its  first  new  building  was  erected  in  1904,  and  in  19 10  and  1914  the  larger 
structures  were  added. 

THE    WILLIAMS   SEALING    CORPORATION 

The  Williams  Sealing  Corporation  was  organized  October  19,  1909,  with 
John  H.  Goss,  president;  N.  R.  Bronson,  vice  president;  George  A.  Williams, 
treasurer  and  general  manager;  Charles  D.  Nye,  secretary;  J.  E.  Tackaberry, 
assistant  secretary  and  treasurer.  Its  capital  is  $150,000.  It  is  located  at  No.  37 
Benedict  Street,  where  it  has  a  frontage  of  160  feet,  and  a  depth  of  120  feet. 
It  occupies  two  buildings  three  stories  in  height,  one  of  which  is  of  mill 
construction. 

The  company  manufactures  "Kork-N-Seal"  bottle  caps.  These  are  sold  to 
manufacturers  of  food  products,  chemicals,  pharmaceuticals,  mineral  waters, 
wines,  liquors,  patent  medicines,  fruit  juices,  and  other  liquids.  It  also  makes 
automatic  machinery  for  applying  the  caps  to  the  bottles,  but  the  cap  can  be 
applied  without  the  use  of  the  machine. 

The  output  is  sold  largely  to  big  manufacturers.  The  article  is  being  adopted 
by  such  firms  as  the  Parke-Davis  Company  of  Detroit,  the  Standard  Oil  Company, 
Scott  &  Bowne,  manufacturers  of  Scott's  Emulsion,  and  the  R.  L.  Watkins 
Company  of  Cleveland.    The  plant  employs  125  people. 

THE   WATERBURY   JEWEL    COMPANY 

The  Waterbury  Jewel  Company  was  established  February  8,  1911-,  with 
E.  M.  Grilley  and  F.  G.  Neuberth  as  partners.  It  was  incorporated  February  18, 
1915,  with  F.  G.  Neuberth  as  president;  H.  M.  Werner,  secretary;  E.  M.  Grilley, 
vice  president,  treasurer  and  manager.  Its  capital  is  $25,000.  With  the  with- 
drawal of  Mr.  Werner,  R.  F.  Neuberth  became  secretary. 

The  business  was  started  on  Burrall  Court,  and  now  occupies  the  two  upper 
floors  of  the  Standard  Tool  and  Machine  Company  Building  at  31  Canal  Street. 
It  manufactures  all  kinds  of  small  instrument  jewels  and  talking  machine  playing 
points.  The  product  represents  a  high  grade  of  mechanical  skill,  work  being 
based  on  processes  devised  by  Mr.  Grilley.     It  employs  sixty  hands. 

SMALL-WIRE   DRAWING 

The  Standard  Wire  Die  Company  was  organized  and  incorporated  in  1914. 
Its  officers  were  and  are  Frederick  Quigley,  president;  Irving  Spies,  vice  presi- 
dent; J.  P.  Wall,  secretary,  and  H.  W.  Quigley,  treasurer.  The  company  manu- 
factures dies  for  drawing  wire.  It  makes  diamond-wire-drawing  dies  and 
diamond  tools  of  all  descriptions.  They  manufacture  diamond  dies  for  gauges 
as  low  as  .0005  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  and  up  to  one-sixteenth  of  an  inch  in 
diameter.  The  product  includes  diamond  tools  of  all  shapes  for  turning  hardened 
steel  pinions,  rubber,  fiber,  etc.,  and  diamond  drills  for  drilling  glass,  eyeglasses, 
etc.     There  are  only  five  concerns  in  this  line  in  the  United  States. 

The  company  employs  twenty  high  grade  mechanics.  It  has  factories  in 
New  York,  Worcester,  and  Waterbury. 

George  Hartley  succeeded  his  father  in  the  manufacture  of  small  steel  wire 
from  which  hair  springs  for  watches  are  fabricated.  He  has  built  the  business  up 
to  a  commanding  position  in  the  trade.  In  1915  and  1916  a  factory  40  by  40  feet 
was  erected. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY      241 

The  Hartley  Wire  Die  Company  is  owned  by  William  M.  Hartley,  son  of 
George  Hartley,  and  manufactures  diamond  wire  dies  of  small  sizes.  It  was 
registered  in  July,  191 7. 

Harris  Hayden  has  been  for  thirty  years  one  of  Waterbury's  famous  diamond 
die  sinkers  and  is  still  in  business,  occupying  part  of  the  George  Hartley  plant. 

THE   AUTOYRE    COMPANY 

The  Autoyre  Company  was  organized  in  June.  1912,  for  $200,000,  with  J.  H. 
Cowles,  president;  F.  M.  Peasley,  vice  president;  R.  C.  Stewart,  secretary  and 
treasurer.  Its  factory  is  at  Main  and  Oakville  streets,  in  the  buildings  formerly 
occupied  by  the  Baird  Machine  Company,  now  of  Stratford,  where  it  manufac- 
tures a  general  line  of  wire  goods,  corkscrews,  bottle  openers,  wire  loops,  fruit 
jar  trimmings,  dress  fasteners,  having  automatic  machines  for  all  these  processes. 
It  employs  150  people. 

THE    LANE   MANUFACTURING    COMPANY 

The  Lane  Manufacturing  Company  wras  founded  in  1850  by  Merritt  Lane, 
who  had  been  in  the  button  business  with  Rufus  E.  Hitchcock  prior  to  that  date. 
In  1867  Spencer  B.  Lane,  a  brother,  became  manager.  In  1894  its  officers  were: 
E.  D.  Steele,  president;  Spencer  B.  Lane,  treasurer,  and  H.  B.  Lane,  secretary. 
The  factory  at  50  Elm  Street  has  been  occupied  continuously  since  1873.  Merritt 
Lane  died  in  1888.  In  1896  Spencer  B.  Lane  became  president  of  the  company 
and  remained  in  the  position  until  his  death  in  1907.  The  officers  now  are: 
President  and  treasurer,  Henry  B.  Lane:  secretary,  Charles  B.  Guernsey. 

The  company  makes  metal  buttons,  buckles  and  snap  fasteners.  At  present 
its  entire  output  is  snap  fasteners. 

THE    WATERVTLLE    CUTLERY    COMPANY 

The  Waterville  Cutlery  Company,  founded  in  1890  with  a  capital  of  $25,000, 
was  built  up  to  a  commanding  position  in  the  line  of  cutlery  manufacture  by  its 
president  and  treasurer,  W.  Sumner  Babcock.  In  1903,  after  his  death,  his 
attorney,  N.  R.  Bronson,  became  temporary  president  of  the  company  and  in 
1904  disposed  of  it  to  George  J.  Babcock,  a  brother  of  the  former  president.  In 
1913  the  Superior  Court  on  application  of  Mr.  Babcock  appointed  Lawrence  L. 
Lewis  receiver  with  orders  to  dispose  of  the  property.  The  order  of  the  court 
approving  the  sale  and  discharging  the  receiver  was  recorded  October  10,   191 3. 

THE    MORDEN    MANUFACTURING    COMPANY 

Early  in  1904  Miss  L.  M.  Morden,  a  stenographer,  secured  a  patent  on  a 
"loose-leaf"  metal  ring  and  in  August  of  that  year  incorporated  the  Morden 
Manufacturing  Company  with  a  capital  of  $40,000.  She  has  since  patented  other 
loose-leaf  devices  and  her  plant  occupies  a  large  loft  at  141  Waterville  Street. 
-It  turns  out  these  devices  in  great  quantities.  Miss  Morden  is  the  only  woman 
in  active  executive  work  along  manufacturing  lines  in  Waterbury.  The  officers 
of  the  company  in  1917  are:  President  and  treasurer.  Miss  L.  M.  Morden;  vice 
president,  B.  F.  Morden;  secretary,  A.  E.  McDonald. 

Vol.  1—16 


242  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

THE    H.    L.    WELCH    HOSIERY    COMPANY 

Henry  L.  Welch  in  1870  started  the  business  which  in  1890  he  incorporated 
as  the  H.  L.  Welch  Hosiery  Company  with  a  capital  of  $80,000.  In  1895,  on  the 
death  of  Mr.  Welch,  his  interest  went  to  his  daughter,  Mrs.  F.  Samson  of  Hart- 
ford, and  to  her  children.  It  was  doing  a  big  business  in  fine  knit  underwear 
and  under  the  management  of  Frank  B.  Buck  grew  so  that  its  Waterville  building 
was  enlarged. 

In  1914,  at  the  beginning  of  the  war  period,  many  of  its  best  hands  left  it  to 
go  into  munition-making  lines  and  the  business  began  to  drop  off.  The  buildings 
were  disposed  of  in  1916,  the  realty  going  to  John  W.  Hard,  who  is  the  purchasing 
agent  for  the  Chase  interests.  All  the  machinery  and  stock  were  sold  to  other 
concerns  in  this  line  of  manufacture.  In  September,  19 17,  the  papers  dissolving 
the  corporation  were  filed  with  the  secretary  of  state. 

THE  WATERBURY  INSTRUMENT  COMPANY 

The  Waterbury  Instrument  Company  was  incorporated  in  191 5  for  $25,000 
and  until  191 7  its  work  was  done  in  the  plant  of  the  Waterbury  Jewel  Company. 
This  year  it  was  established  as  a  separate  concern  and  is  now  busy  perfecting 
its  reproducer  for  talking  machines.  Its  product  is  not  yet  on  the  market.  The 
officers  are:  President,  C.  H.  W.  Newton;  secretary,  Henry  M.  Werner;  treas- 
urer, Joseph  Wilhelm. 

THE   WATERBURY    ICE   CORPORATION 

The  Waterbury  Ice  Corporation  was  organized  in  1902  with  a  capital  of 
$15,000.  Its  first  officers  were  Charles  R.  Vaill,  president,  and  Charles  B.  Everett, 
secretary  and  treasurer.  It  was  located  on  Brook  Street  until  191 5,  and  is  now 
at  74  Watertown  Avenue,  where  it  has  500  feet  frontage  on  the  avenue  with 
an  average  depth  of  60  feet.  With  a  spur  track  from  the  trolley  line,  it 
easily  handles  and  stores  the  ice  it  cuts  at  Lake  Quassaug.  The  plant  has  a 
capacity  of  150  tons,  with  storage  at  the  lake  for  8,000  tons.  The  company  uses 
twenty  teams  in  warm  weather  for  delivery,  employing  eighty  people  in  the 
summer  season.    The  company  does  75  per  cent  of  the  ice  business  in  Waterbury. 

THE  SPRING  LAKE  ICE  COMPANY 

The  Spring  Lake  Ice  Company  has  two  large  ice  houses  in  Reedville,  and  is 
owned  by  George  E.  Storm.  It  furnishes  over  20  per  cent  of  the  ice  supply  of 
Waterbury. 

THE   HELLMAN   BREWING    COMPANY 

The  Hellman  Brewing  Company,  one  of  the  three  largest  breweries  in  the 
state,  was  established  in  1878  by  Frederick  Nuhn  in  a  small  building  on  its 
present  site.  In  1881  Martin  Hellman  and  Michael  Kipp  bought  the  plant  and 
erected  the  present  main  building,  5^2  stories  high  with  a  tower,  used 
now  for  malt  bins.  In  1895  the  business  was  enlarged  by  the  addition  of  an  ale 
plant  and  a  two-story  brick  stable.  The  ale  plant  is  three  stories  in  height,  40 
by  40.  In  1901  the  Hygeia  ice  plant  was  built.  In  1916  storage  cellars  were  added 
and  this  year  a  large  addition  is  being  built  to  the  wash  house. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY'  243 

Martin  Hellman,  who  had  bought  out  his  partner  in  1889,  died  in  1895,  and 
his  widow.  Mrs.  Martin  Hellman,  incorporated  the  business  with  a  capital  of 
$50,000.  The  original  officers  were:  President,  Mrs.  Martin  Hellman;  vice 
president,  William  Hellman;  secretary  and  treasurer,  William  1).  Richardson. 
In  [902  William  Hellman  died  and  his  brother,  Charles  M.  Hellman,  took  his 
place  on  the  board.  Mr.  Richardson  died  in  [914.  The  present  officers  are: 
President,  Mrs.  Martin  Hellman;  secretary  and  treasurer,  Charles  M.  Hellman. 

In  1901  the  plant  of  the  Ilygeia  Ice  Company,  part  of  the  Hellman  brewery, 
was  built  at  1095  Rank  Street.  It  is  equipped  to  manufacture  ice  from  distilled 
water  by  what  is  known  as  the  can  system — that  is,  freezing  the  water  in  cans. 
It  is  sold  only  at  wholesale  and  the  greater  part  of  its  daily  60-ton  output  is  bought 
by  the  Waterbury  Ice  Corporation. 

Till-;    EAGLE    BREWING    COMPANY 

The  Eagle  Brewery  was  established  in  1901  by  Thomas  Finnegan  and  Paul 
Suese.  In  1902  it  was  taken  over  by  Thomas  H.  Hayes  and  Mr.  Finnegan  and 
incorporated  in  July,  1903,  for  $25,000,  with  Thomas  H.  Hayes  as  president,  and 
Thomas  Finnegan,  secretary.  The  present  four-story  main  building,  150  by  80, 
was  erected  in  1902  and  is  used  for  the  manufacture  of  ale,  lager  and  porter. 
The  brewery's  capacity  today  is  from  80,000  to   100,000  barrels  a  year. 

Thomas  H.  Hayes  died  April  11,  1913,  and  he  was  succeeded  in  the  presidency 
by  his  widow,  Mrs.  Thomas  H.  Hayes,  who  still  holds  that  position.  In  191 7  a 
modern  bottling  shop,  100  by  50,  was  erected. 

Its  officers  today  are:  President,  Mrs.  Thomas  H.  Hayes;  vice  president. 
Thomas  Finnegan;  treasurer,  Thomas  E.  Guest;  assistant  treasurer,  Daniel  J. 
Leary ;  secretary,  Michael  T.  Hayes. 

FEW    MANUFACTURING   LOSSES 

The  record  of  industrial  growth  of  the  past  quarter  century  has  been  marked 
by  few  removals  of  manufacturing  plants.  The  additions,  as  the  history  shows, 
have  been  extensive. 

The  Raird  Machine  Company,  which  was  incorporated  in  July,  1894,  moved 
its  plant  to  Waterbury  in  1900.  At  that  time  its  president  was  J.  H.  Raird  and 
its  secretary  John  M.  Hopkins.  It  remained  here  until  1912,  erecting  a  factory 
in  1907  and  1908.  In  191 1  it  decided  to  move  to  Stratford,  where  it  is  now- 
located.     It  makes  automatic  machinery. 

The  Manville  Rrothers  Company  was  organized  in  1897  an-d  incorporated 
by  R.  C,  W.  W.  and  G.  H.  Manville.  The  firm  manufactured  automatic 
machinery  along  lines  similar  to  the  output  at  present  of  the  Rowbottom  Machine 
Company,  to  whom  the  business  was  finally  sold  in  1912.  In  1902  George  H. 
Manville  withdrew  from  the  firm  and  organized  the  G.  H.  Manville  Pattern  and 
Model  Company,  which  was  incorporated  in  191 3. 

The  National  Wire  Mattress  Company  incorporated  in  Connecticut  in  Febru- 
ary, 1902,  for  $20,000,  with  R.  B.  Hill  as  president  and  William  J.  Fielding  as 
treasurer.  Its  connections  were  such  that  in  1906  it  decided  to  move  to  New 
Rritain,  where  it  is  now  located  and  is  known  as  the  National  Spring  Bed 
Company. 

The  Waterbury  Crucible  Company  incorporated  in  Connecticut  in  November. 
[904,  with  a  capital  of  $50,000.  Its  officers  were:  President,  Edgar  R.  Seidel : 
treasurer,  Levi  S.  Tenney  of  New  York;  secretary.  F.  S.   Little  of   New  York. 


244  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

It  was  located  at  Meadow,  corner  of  Benedict  Street,  where  it  had  a  two-story 
brick  factory,  size  51  by  j6.  In  1910  it  decided  to  remove  to  Detroit  to  be  nearer 
its  trade. 

The  Standard  Electric  Time  Company  manufacturers  of  self-winding  clocks, 
regulators,  electric  tower  clocks,  electric  time  plants,  was  located  at  23  Jefferson 
Street. 

The  officers  of  the  company  were  George  L.  Riggs,  president ;  J.  J.  Estabrook, 
secretary. 

In  1908  when  E.  H.,  B.  B.  and  B.  H.  Bristol  moved  to  Foxboro,  Mass.,  they 
made  this  a  part  of  their  new  business.  It  was  then  repurchased  by  George  L. 
Riggs  and  associates,  who  moved  it  to  Springfield,  where  it  is  now  located. 


CHAPTER  XXI 
THE  MASONIC  ORDER  AND  OTHER  FRATERNITIES 

EARLY   MASONIC  HISTORY — HARMONY  AND  CONTINENTAL  LODGES MASONIC  CLUB— 

CLARK    COMMANDERY — EUREKA    CHAPTER,   R.   A.    M. — WATERBURY   COUNCIL,    NO. 

21 — THE  WATERBURY  MASONIC  TEMPLE THE  ODD  FELLOWS — NOSAHOGAN  LODGE 

— ENCAMPMENT  AND  CANTON — DAUGHTERS  OF  REBEKAH KNIGHTS  OF  PYTHIAS 

-B.    P.    0.    ELKS — KNIGHTS    OF   COLUMBUS — ANCIENT    ORDER    OF    HIBERNIANS — 

UNITED  WORKMEN FORESTERS — LOYAL  ORDER  OF  MOOSE — HEPTASOPHS — EAGLES 

—RED  MEN UNITED  AMERICAN  MECHANICS WOODMEN  AND  OTHER  FRATERNI- 
TIES— FRENCH,  ITALIAN,  SWEDISH  AND  GERMAN  SOCIETIES — LABOR  ORGANI- 
ZATIONS. 

The  past  twenty  years  in  Waterbury  have  been  remarkable  for  Masonic 
activity  and  Harmony  Lodge  has  played  a  very  important  part  in  the  wonder- 
ful growth  of  Masonry,  thus  continuing  and  developing  the  work  begun  by 
Worshipful  Brother  Byington  and  his  associate  workers  and  brethren  120  years 
ago,  when  the  lodge  was  founded. 

The  one  hundredth  anniversary  found  the  craft  enjoying  their  own  quar- 
ters in  Masonic  Temple  at  126  Bank  Street,  but  in  the  disastrous  fire  which 
swept  Waterbury  February  2,  1902,  this  temple  was  totally  destroyed.  All 
property,  jewels  and  furniture  therein,  except  records  and  jewels  in  the  vault. 
were  lost. 

After  the  fire,  the  various  Masonic  bodies  held  meetings  in  St.  John's  parish 
house  until  a  suitable  hall  could  be  found.  Waterbury  was  rapidly  rebuilt  and 
arrangements  were  made  for  a  hall  to  be  laid  out  on  the  fourth  floor  of  the 
Mullings  Building  at  95  Bank  Street.  It  soon  became  apparent  that  these  quar- 
ters were  not  large  enough  to  accommodate  the  various  Masonic  bodies.  The 
need  of  a  new  and  properly  equipped  temple  was  evident  to  all,  and  the  first 
step  in  this  direction  was  taken  in  December,  1905.  A  by-law  was  then  adopted 
by  both  Harmony  Lodge,  No.  42,  and  Continental  Lodge,  No.  76,  F.  &  A.  M., 
providing  that  the  trustees  of  both  of  said  lodges  should  constitute  a  joint  board 
of  trustees,  to  be  known  as  the  Masonic  Building  Fund  Trustees,  to  care  for 
and  invest  all  funds  received  for  the  purpose  of  purchasing  land  and  erecting 
and  furnishing  a  temple  thereon.  The  fund  was  started  by  an  appropriation  of 
$1,000  by  each  of  the  lodges,  and  other  contributions  were  made  from  time 
to  time. 

In  1908  a  building  committee,  representing  all  bodies,  was  appointed  and  in 
the  early  part  of  the  year  191 1  the  homestead  of  Elisha  Leavenworth  became 
available  as  a  possible  site  for  the  proposed  temple.  The  executors  of  Mr. 
Leavenworth's  will  declined  to  divide  the  frontage  on  West  Main  Street,  and 
as  other  parties  were  ready  to  purchase,  prompt  action  was  necessary.  It  was 
then  that  Almon  C.  Judd,  Robert  P.  Lewis,  John  R.  Flughes,  Carl  Munger  and 
Albert  Schumaker,  all  members  of  the  craft,  and  enthusiastic  workers  for  the 
new  temple,  came   forward  and  purchased  the   entire    frontage  on  West   Main 

245 


246  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Street.  These  men  then  offered  to  convey  to  the  Masonic  building  committee  all 
or  any  part  of  said  land  without  any  advance  in  price,  and  the  committee  finally 
secured  a  site  for  the  new  temple  at  a  price  of  $20,000.  This  met  with  instant 
approval,  the  money  was  raised  in  part  by  subscription  and  the  full  purchase 
price  was  paid  over  on  July  1,  191 1. 

In  the  same  year  the  members  of  the  Masonic  building  committee  recom- 
mended to  the  several  bodies  that  a  corporation  without  capital  stock  be  formed 
under  the  statute  laws  of  the  State  of  Connecticut  by  incorporators,  representing 
all  the  Masonic  bodies  of  Waterbury,  to  take  charge  of  the  building  of  the 
temple. 

In  accordance  with  this  and  other  recommendations,  each  body  appointed  three 
of  its  members  to  act  as  incorporators,  with  full  power  and  authority  to  act  with 
the  incorporators  appointed  by  the  other  Masonic  bodies  in  this  city,  in  forming 
such  a  corporation.  The  incorporators  met  and  organized  the  Waterbury  Ma- 
sonic Temple  Corporation,  which  erected  and  maintains  this  beautiful  temple  for 
the  use,  benefit  and  occupancy  of  the  several  orders  of  Masonry,  situated  within 
the  Masonic  jurisdiction  of  the  Town  of  Waterbury. 

Until  1847  Harmony  Lodge  was  the  only  Masonic  organization  in  Waterbury, 
and  until  July  1,  1845,  there  was  no  other  fraternity  of  any  kind.  Now,  how- 
ever, there  are  within  the  original  territory,  five  Masonic  lodges,  three  chapters, 
a  council,  a  commandery,  and  a  lodge,  council  and  chapter  of  the  Scottish  rite. 

Continental  Lodge,  No.  76,  was  formed  in  1869.  In  the  charter  of  Continental 
Lodge  are  the  names  of  forty-nine  brethren,  one-half  of  whom  were  members 
of  Harmony  Lodge.  From  its  origin  'to  the  present  time  Continental  Lodge 
has  enjoyed  uninterrupted  prosperity  and  the  relations  between  it  and  its  mother 
lodge  have  been  of  the  most  cordial  and  fraternal  character,  having  made  it 
possible  for  many  enterprises  to  be  carried  out  by  them  together.  Among  these 
might  be  mentioned  the  Masonic  Board  of  Relief,  the  purchase  of  a  burial  lot 
and  the  erection  of  a  monument  in  Riverside  Cemetery,  and  co-operation  with 
the  other  Masonic  organizations  in  forming  the  Waterbury  Masonic  Temple 
Corporation. 

There  have  been  seventy-one  masters  of  Harmony  Lodge  in  the  121  years  of 
its  existence,  and  there  are  now  between  fifty  and  sixty  veterans  of  over  thirty 
years'  standing.  Among  its  early  members  were  eleven  men  who  had  served  in 
the  Revolutionary  war,  and  from  that  time  on,  it  has  been  represented  in  every 
war  in  which  this  country  has  engaged.  There  were  four  men  in  the  war  of 
1812,  two  in  the  Mexican  war,  thirty  in  the  Civil  war,  two  in  the  Spanish  war, 
and  at  least  eighteen  have  answered  the  call  of  their  country  in  the  present  emer- 
gency. 

Many  of  its  members  have  filled  high  places  in  state  and  national  govern- 
ments. Among  these  are  George  L.  Lilley,  governor  of  Connecticut  and  member 
of  Congress;  Stephen  W.  Kellogg,  member  of  Congress  for  three  terms;  Joel 
Hinman,  chief  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Errors  of  the  State  of  Connecticut ; 
Charles  E.  Turner,  United  States  consul-general  at  Ottawa,  Canada,  and  Henry 
I.  Boughton,  Henry  F.  Fish,  George  W.  Benedict,  Aner  Bradley.  Jr.,  John  Ken- 
drick,  Philo  G.  Rockwell,  Joseph  B.  Spencer,  George  B.  Thomas,  William  E. 
Thorns,  Francis  T.  Reeves  and  John  W.  Webster  were  mayors  of  Waterbury. 
Many  members  have  served  as  state  senators  and  representatives  and  on  various 
municipal  boards  of  the  city  of  Waterbury.  Many  prominent  clergymen  of  various 
denominations  have  been  members.  Among  them  Rev.  Joseph  Anderson,  D.  D., 
pastor  of  the  First  Church  in  Waterbury  for  over  forty  years  and  a  member  of 
the  corporation  of  Yale  University,  and  Rev.  F.  D.  Buckley,  rector  of  Trinity 
Church  for  twenty-five  years. 


MASONIC  TEMPLE,  WEST  MAIN  STREET,  WATERBURY 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  247 

In  the  fraternity  itself  many  of  its  members  have  been  called  to  fill  high 
places  of  honor  and  esteem.  Randolph  B.  Chapman  was  the  grand  master  of  the 
most  worshipful  Grand  Lodge  of  Connecticut,  John  W.  Paul  was  at  one  time 
grand  secretary,  the  Rev.  F.  D.  Buckley,  grand  chaplain.  James  Coer  was  grand 
senior  deacon  at  the  time  of  his  death.  James  Callan  was  grand  high  priest. 
Grand  Royal  Arch  Chapter.  Frank  H.  Trowbridge  was  the  most  puissant  grand 
master  of  the  Grand  Council  of  Royal  and  Select  Masons  in  Connecticut.  Nathan 
Dikeman,  John  W.  Paul,  Frederick  A.  Spencer  and  Nelson  J.  Welton  were  grand 
commanders  of  the  Grand  Commandery  of  Connecticut.  Nelson  J.  Welton  and 
John  R.  Hughes  were  thirty-third  degree  Masons  of  A.  A.  S.  R. 

Both  Harmony  and  Continental  Lodges  now  rank  among  the  largest  in  the 
state.  The  membership  of  Harmony  Lodge  is  527  members,  a  gain  of  65  during 
the  present  year.    Continental  Lodge  has  about  the  same  number. 

The  past  masters  of  Harmony  Lodge  from  1893  to  1917  were:  Ralph  L. 
Bronson,  Harry  O.  Miller,  J.  Ward  B.  Porter,  Frederick  E.  Stanley,  James  P. 
Elliott,  Eugene  C.  Adt,  Randolph  B.  Chapman,  Edward  E.  Bacon,  John  F.  Morden. 
Adam  Callan,  Louis  C.  Chapman,  Frank  A.  Alden,  Walter  G.  Chapman,  Robert 
S.  Walker,  William  H.  Callan,  Frank  J.  Erbe,  Ernest  L.  Green,  Ernest  F.  Guil- 
ford, Irving  W.  Harrison,  James  B.  Isherwood,  Crayton  F.  Carpenter,  Joseph 
Wilhelm,  Clark  H.  W.  Newton. 

The  past  masters  of  Continental  Lodge  from  1893  to  1917  have  been:  George 
E.  Tompkins,  William  M.  Cottle,  William  E.  Norris,  Hollis  B.  Bagg,  William  E. 
Brown,  Edwin  S.  Babcock,  Everett  L.  Starr,  Frank  E.  Fenner,  Charles  M. 
Brooks.  Jacob  Kaiser,  Joseph  S.  Neill,  Walter  D.  Austin,  George  H.  Crane, 
George  G.  Mullings,  Edwin  K.  Diver,  Samuel  H.  Patterson,  Otto  P.  Armbruster, 
Louis  E.  Granger,  Marshall  F.  Kloppenburg,  William  R.  Keaveney,  Leon  H. 
Cummings,  Richard  S.  Wood,  Herman  M.  Turrell,  Arthur  T.  Mayhew. 

The  present  officers  of  Harmony  and  Continental  lodges  follow  : 

Harmony  Lodge:  Clark  H.  W.  Newton,  worshipful  master;  George  S.  Callan, 
senior  warden;  Alfred  G.  Germain,  junior  warden  ;  Irving  W.  Harrison,  treasurer; 
John  A.  McKay,  secretary;  Leon  A.  Duley,  senior  deacon;  I.  Franklin  Story, 
junior  deacon;  Ralph  E.  Day,  senior  steward;  Frederick  J.  Willits,  Jr.,  junior 
steward;  Carlton  B.  Coe,  chaplain;  William  H.  Phillips,  marshal;  Crayton  F.  Car- 
penter; tyler. 

Continental  Lodge :  Arthur  T.  Mayhew,  worshipful  master ;  John  W.  Potter, 
senior  warden;  Arthur  A.  Bradley,  junior  warden;  Wilbur  P.  Bryan,  treasurer; 
Franklin  B.  Daniels,  secretary ;  Burton  A.  Young,  senior  deacon ;  Hubert  L.  Bas- 
sett,  junior  deacon;  Frederick  B.  Peck,  senior  steward;  James  W.  Abercrombie, 
junior  steward;  Rev.  Charles  E.  Benedict,  chaplain;  Ralph  T.  Benedict,  marshal; 
Henry  H.  Peck,  tyler. 

The  Masonic  Club,  a  purely  social  organization,  was  organized  on  January 
24,  1895,  in  the  old  Masonic  Temple,  126  Bank  Street.  Its  first  officers  were: 
President,  George  F.  Hughes;  vice  presidents,  J.  W.  B.  Porter,  Harry  F.  LaForge; 
secretary,  George  C.  Curtiss ;  treasurer,  James  W.  Cone;  board  of  managers. 
Ezra  L.'  Chapman,  James  Callan,  H.  T.  Stedman,  Wm.  E.  Norris.  Howard  G. 
Pinney,  Jacob  Kaiser. 

It  was  active  in  a  social  way  until  1900  when  it  went  out  of  existence.  Its  last 
officers  were :  Dr.  T.  F.  Axtelle,  president,  and  C.  H.  Rockwood,  secretary  and 
treasurer. 

For  many  years  it  has  been  evident  to  many  observers  that  the  interests  of 
Freemasonry  demand  the  establishment  of  another  lodge  in  Waterbury  and  un- 
doubtedly the  time  has  come  when  steps  will  be  taken  to  bring  this  about.     Both 


248  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

lodges  are  so  strong,  relations  between  them  so  cordial,  Masonic  work  in  this 
city  so  plentiful,  that  it  seems  a  most  opportune  time  to  form  another  lodge,  one- 
half  of  the  charter  members  to  be  drawn  from  Harmony  Lodge  and  the  other 
half  from  Continental  Lodge.  The  movement  is  well  under  way  and  in  the  hands 
of  men  who  have  the  best  interests  of  Freemasonry  at  heart. 

CLARK   COMMANDERY 

Clark  Commandery,  No.  7,  Knights  Templar,  constituted  May  10,  1866,  has 
continued  its  notable  work  throughout  the  past  quarter  century.  The  annual 
observance  of  Ascension  Day  is  still  one  of  the  customs  of  the  commandery. 
Services  are  held  in  one  of  the  city  churches,  after  which  the  graves  of  deceased 
knights  are  decorated  with  flowers.  Its  equipment  for  the  rendering  of  the 
ritual  is  second  to  none  in  the  jurisdiction.    Its  membership  today  is  about  290. 

The  following  are  the  officers  for  1917-1918.  Marshall  F.  Kloppenburg,  emi- 
nent commander;  S.  McLean  Buckingham,  generalissimo;  Herbert  L.  Beardsley, 
captain  general;  John  L.  Scott,  prelate;  Charles  A.  Templeton,  senior  warden; 
Robert  V.  Magee,  junior  warden;  Wilbur  P.  Bryan,  treasurer;  George  H.  Crane, 
recorder;  James  W.  Abercrombie,  standard  bearer;  Fenton  F.  Niver,  sword 
bearer;  Howard  F.  Moody,  warden;  Charles  W.  Hotchkiss,  sentinel;  Ernest  A. 
Andersen,  third  guard;  Franklin  A.  Wells,  second  guard;  Cleaveland  D.  Wilson, 
first  guard  ;  Carl  E.  Munger,  Nelson  J.  Welton,  J.  Richard  Smith,  trustees ;  Carl 
E.  Munger,  Nelson  J.  Welton,  Henry  H.  Peck,  trustees  Clark  Good  Will  Fund; 
Almon  C.  Judd,  commissary;  Franklin  B.  Daniels,  drill  master;  Frederick  C. 
Marggraff,  instructor  of  ritual  and  work. 

The  past  commanders  of  Clark  Commandery  since  1893  are:  Fred  A.  Spencer, 
Alfred  J.  Shipley,  Wm.  G.  Smith,  Elliott  E.  Candee,  George  C.  Curtiss,  J.  W.  B. 
Porter,  Carl  E.  Munger,  Fred  E.  Stanley,  W.  P.  Bryan,  John  B.  Ebbs,  Benjamin 
L.  Coe,  Joseph  H.  Woodward,  John  R.  Hughes,  Charles  M.  Brooks,  Frederick  C. 
Marggraff,  Franklin  B.  Daniels,  John  L.  Scott,  Wm.  R.  Keaveney,  Paul  Klimpke, 
W.  L.  Babcock,  Marshall  Kloppenburg. 

\ 

EUREKA  CHAPTER,  NO.  22,  R.  A.  M. 

Eureka  Chapter,  organized  in  the  town  of  Oxford,  October  12,  1826,  removed 
to  Waterbury  November  2,  1847,  has  now  in  1917  a  membership  of  350.  This  is 
a  growth  from  216  in  1895.  The  1917  officers  are  as  follows:  John  E.  Porzen- 
heim.  excellent  high  priest ;  Edward  W.  Johnson,  king ;  Louis  C.  Chapman,  scribe ; 
Wilbur  P.  Bryan,  treasurer;  George  E.  Irion,  secretary;  Louis  E.  Granger, 
C.  of  H. ;  George  J.  Munson,  P.  S. ;  Frederick  W.  Davis,  R.  A.  C. ;  I.  Franklin 
Story,  3  V. ;  Harry  J.  Rider,  2  V. ;  Clarence  F.  McKay,  1  V. ;  Charles  W.  Hotch- 
kiss, sentinel ;  trustees,  Alfred  J.  Shipley,  Carl  E.  Munger. 

The  past  high  priests  of  Eureka  Chapter,  from  1893  t0  I9I7»  are:  James  Cal- 
lan,  Alfred  J.  Shipley,  Eldridge  E.  Candee,  William  E.  Norris,  Elliott  E.  Candee, 
Carl  E.  Munger,  William  E.  Thorns,  Charles  M.  Brooks,  Henry  F.  Marendaz, 
Eugene  C.  Adt,  Joseph  S.  Neill,  Walter  C.  Bon,  Frank  E.  Beardsley,  John  J. 
Gailey,  William  E.  Brown,  Harry  A.  Richardson,  W.  L.  Babcock,  Wm.  R.  Kea- 
veney, Frank  Mitchell,  Thomas  D.  Prescott,  Roberts  G.  Hannegan,  Harry  P. 
Sanderson,  Alpheus  E.  Betts,  John  E.  Porzenheim. 

WATERBURY  COUNCIL,  NO.  21,  R.  &  S.   M. 

Waterbury  Council,  No.  21,  R.  &  S.  M.,  was  constituted  March  21,  1853.  In 
1895  it  had  a  membership  of  245.     Its  roster  today  is  nearly  325.     Its  present 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  249 

officers  are:  Edward  W.  Johnson,  thrice  illustrious  master;  Crayton  F.  Carpen- 
ter, Rt.  111.  D.  M. ;  Arthur  W.  Robbins,  P.  C.  &  W. ;  Wilbur  P.  Bryan,  treasurer ; 
George  E.  Irion,  recorder;  Louis  C.  Chapman,  C.  of  G. ;  Ralph  E.  Day,  conductor; 
William  H.  Miller,  steward;  Charles  W.  Hotchkiss,  sentinel;  trustees,  Alfred  J. 
Shipley,  Carl  E.  Munger,  W.  L.  Babcock. 

The  following  are  the  thrice  illustrious  masters  of  Waterbury  Council  from 
1893  to  1917;  Frank  H.  Trowbridge,  James  Callan,  R.  R.  Bird,  Fred  E.  Stanley, 
Eugene  C.  Adt,  Joseph  S.  Neill,  Walter  H.  Ruggles,  Walter  C.  Bon,  George  C. 
Curtiss,  Harry  J.  Beardsley,  Charles  H.  Swenson,  Harry  A.  Richardson,  Win.  E 
Brown,  Wm.  R.  Keaveney,  W.  L.  Babcock,  Thomas  D.  Prescott,  Frederick  C. 
Marggraff,  Frank  Mitchell,  Frederick  M.  Davis.  John  E.  Porzenheim,  Edward 
W.  Johnson. 

Doric  Lodge  of  Perfection,  which  confers  from  the  fourth  to  the  fourteenth 
degrees,  Ionic  Council,  Princes  of  Jerusalem,  which  gives  the  fifteenth  and  six- 
teenth degrees,  and  Corinthian  Chapter,  Rose  Croix,  seventeenth  and  eighteenth 
degrees,  were  all  chartered  September  23,  1897.  The  191 7  officers  of  these  Ma- 
sonic bodies  are  as  follows : 

Doric  Lodge  of  Perfection:  Robert  S.  Walker,  thrice  potent  master;  Freder- 
ick W.  Chesson,  deputy  master;  Charles  A.  Templeton,  senior  warden;  Charles 
M.  Brooks,  junior  warden;  Carlton  B.  Coe,  orator;  Almon  C.  Judd,  secretary ; 
Willis  M.  Hall,  treasurer;  George  C.  Curtiss,  master  of  ceremonies;  Alpheus  E. 
Betts,  guard;  Alfred  J.  Shipley,  hospitaler;  Charles  W.  Hotchkiss,  tyler. 

Ionic  Council,  Princes  of  Jerusalem:  Robert  H.  Batton,  sovereign  prince; 
Clark  H.  W.  Newton,  high  priest;  Arthur  B.  Buckman,  senior  warden;  Hiram  L. 
Kilborn,  junior  warden;  Willis  M.  Hall,  treasurer;  Almon  C.  Judd,  secretary; 
George  W.  Seeton,  master  of  ceremonies;  John  E.  Porzenheim,  master  of  en- 
trances ;  Alfred  J.  Shipley,  hospitaler ;  Charles  W.  Hotchkiss,  tyler. 

Corinthian  Chapter  of  Rose  Croix :  Howard  F.  Moody,  most  wise  master ; 
Harry  B.  Sanderson,  senior  warden;  Ralph  E.  Day,  junior  warden;  Benjamin  L. 
Coe,  orator ;  Willis  M.  Hall,  treasurer ;  Almon  C.  Judd,  secretary ;  George  C.  Cur- 
tiss, master  of  ceremonies;  Alfred  J.  Shipley,  hospitaler;  Albert  I.  Chatfield, 
guard ;  Charles  W.  Hotchkiss,  tyler. 

Xaomi  Chapter,  No.  23,  Order  of  Eastern  Star,  which  was  instituted  September 
12,  1879,  and  constituted  October  8,  1879,  has  the  following  officers  in  1917: 
Catherine  Goppelt,  worthy  matron;  Louis  E.  Granger,  worthy  patron;  Lura  K. 
Richardson,  associate  matron;  Jennie  Marggraff,  secretary;  Sarah  A.  Patchen, 
treasurer;  Margaret  Moore,  conductress;  Lena  S.  Perkins,  associate  conductress; 
Charlotte  Hannegan,  chaplain ;  Nellie  E.  Candee,  marshal ;  Clara  H.  Wirth,  organ- 
ist ;  Elizabeth  Huber,  Adah ;  Blanche  L.  Heebner,  Ruth ;  Mary  E.  Woodcock, 
Esther ;  Ereena  T.  Callender,  Martha ;  Charlotte  Abercrombie,  Electa ;  Louis  C. 
Chapman,  sentinel;  Susie  H.  Granger,  warder. 

Evergreen  Court,  No.  2,  Order  of  Amaranth,  which  was  chartered  April  22, 
1910,  has  the  following  officers  for  1917  :  Daysie  Perry,  royal  matron ;  E.  K.  Diver, 
royal  patron ;  Elizabeth  Booth,  associate  royal  matron ;  Grace  R.  White,  secretary ; 
Elizabeth  Hengeveld,  treasurer;  Mary  Woodcock,  conductress;  Katherine  Turrell. 
associate  conductress. 

The  Waterbury  Masonic  Aid  Association,  which  was  instituted  July  16,  1896, 
has  the  following  officers  for  191 7:  Louis  E.  Granger,  president;  Ferdinand 
Wolff,  vice  president;  George  C.  Curtiss,  treasurer;  Raymond  H.  Ryder,  secretary. 
Directors,  Ernest  H.  Horn,  Charles  W.  Hotchkiss,  Harry  A.  Richardson,  Fer- 
dinand Wolff,  Charles  E.  Schlier.  Sick  visiting  committee,  Harry  A.  Richardson, 
George  O.  Monroe. 


250  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Kellogg-  Lodge,  No.  5,  F.  &  A.  M.,  an  organization  of  colored  Masons,  was 
organized  October  12,  1874.  Its  officers  at  present  are :  Worshipful  master,  A.  H. 
Gatling;  senior  warden,  W.  W.  Holland;  junior  warden,  A.  J.  Darrow ;  secretary, 
C.  C.  Fowler;  treasurer,  W.  H.  Costen;  tyler,  S.  Norwood. 

THE  WATERBURY  MASONIC  TEMPLE 

The  Masonic  Temple,  specially  designed  and  planned  for  the  use  of  the  fra- 
ternity, is  really  two  buildings  erected  at  right  angles  to  each  other.  The  West 
Main  street  front  building  is  26  by  100  feet,  four  stories  high,  and  is  located  directly 
opposite  the  Soldiers  Monument.  On  the  first  floor  is  the  main  entrance,  a  large 
lobby,  corridor,  and  the  incorporators'  room.  The  general  library  and  reading 
rooms  occupy  the  entire  second  floor,  and  the  various  lodge  parlors  and  social 
rooms  are  on  the  third  and  fourth  floors.  The  rear  portion  contains  a  fire-proof 
stair  and  elevator  tower. 

The  main  building  is  70  by  no  feet,  and  extends  from  the  rear  of  the  stair 
tower  across  to  Park  Place,  opposite  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  gymnasium.  It  contains  four 
halls,  with  all  necessary  anterooms  and  conveniences.  A  large  auditorium,  known 
as  Temple  Hall,  beautifully  decorated  and  furnished,  is  on  the  first  floor.  It  has 
a  large  stage,  gallery,  kitchen,  several  dressing  rooms  and  six  exits.  It  will  seat 
about  nine  hundred  people,  and  is  considered  the  best  equipped  and  most  acces- 
sible hall  for  public  use  in  the  city.  It  is  intended  for  a  banquet  hall  for  large 
Masonic  gatherings  as  well  as  a  source  of  revenue. 

The  second  floor,  which  is  on  the  same  level  as  the  third  floor  of  the  front  build- 
ing, is  divided  into  two  lodge  rooms,  one  27^  by  50  feet,  and  one  37  by  65  feet. 
These  are  used  by  the  two  blue  lodges,  chapter,  council  and  orders  of  the  Eastern 
Star  and  the  Amaranth.  The  commandery  asylum,  50  by  58,  is  on  the  third  floor, 
and  this  room,  which  has  a  pipe  organ  and  a  large  stage,  is  also  used  by  the 
Scottish  rite  bodies. 

The  Temple  is  owned  and  controlled  by  the  fraternity  through  the  Water- 
bury  Masonic  Temple  Corporation,  a  corporation  without  capital  stock,  organized 
under  the  laws  of  the  State  of  Connecticut  June  29,  191 1,  by  the  following  incor- 
porators, representing  all  the  Masonic  bodies  of  Waterbury : 

Harmony  Lodge,  No.  42,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Robert  S.  Walker,  Albert  Schumaker, 
Rev.  F.  D.  Buckley. 

Continental  Lodge,  No.  76,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Nelson  J.  Welton,  H.  H.  Peck,  F.  B. 
Daniels. 

Eureka  Chapter,  No.  22,  R.  A.  M.,  E.  C.  Adt,  G.  G.  Mullings,  W.  L.  Bab- 
cock. 

Waterbury  Council,  No.  21,  R.  &  S.  M.,  W.  R.  Keaveney,  G.  C.  Curtiss,  James 
Callan. 

Clark  Commandery,  No.  7,  K.  T.,  J.  R.  Smith,  B.  L.  Coe,  Carl  E.  Munger. 

Doric  Lodge  of  Perfection,  A.  A.  S.  R.,  J.  R.  Hughes.  F.  C.  Marggrarr,  M.  F. 
Kloppenburg. 

Ionic  Council,  Princes  of  Jerusalem,  A.  A.  S.  R.,  Robert  P.  Lewis,  J.  K.  Smith, 
J.  M.  Woodward. 

Corinthian  Chapter,  Rose  Croix,  A.  A.  S.  R.,  Almon  C.  Judd,  John  B.  Ebbs, 
Willis  M.  Hall. 

The  corner  stone  of  the  new  temple  was  laid  on  Saturday,  August  10,  1912, 
at  3  130  in  the  afternoon  by  M.  W.  Justin  Holden,  grand  master  of  Masons  in 
Connecticut,  assisted  by  his  associate  grand  officers.  The  ceremony  of  laying 
the  stone  was  in  accordance  with  the  ancient  Masonic  custom  and  the  exercises 


WATERBURY   AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  251 

included  appropriate  addresses  by  members  of  the  craft  and  singing  by  the  Ma- 
sonic choir  of  Waterbury.  There  were  a  large  number  of  Masons  present  from 
all  parts  of  Connecticut,  and  the  event  was  one  of  the  most  impressive  of  its  kind 
ever  held  in  Waterbury  and  will  long  be  remembered  by  all  who  witnessed  it. 
Thirty-six  lodges  were  represented  and  ten  thirty-third  degree  Masons  were 
present  when  the  stone  was  laid. 

The  stone  contains  a  large  number  of  historical  documents,  coins  and  medals, 
many  of  which  had  once  before  been  deposited  in  a  corner  stone,  that  of  the  old 
temple  on  Bank  Street,  which  was  destroyed  by  the  great  fire  of  1902,  and  recov- 
ered when  the  stone  was  taken  from  the  ruins. 

The  temple  was  informally  opened  by  the  Waterbury  Masonic  Temple  Cor- 
poration on  Tuesday  evening,  March  24,  1914,  and  hundreds  of  the  members  of 
the  fraternity  visited  the  building  and  inspected  their  new  home  for  the  first 
time. 

The  first  meeting  in  the  temple  for  Masonic  work  was  held  by  Harmony 
Lodge  in  the  memorial  lodge  room  on  Thursday  evening,  March  26,  1914.  The 
E.  A.  degree  was  conferred  upon  one  candidate  in  the  presence  of  a  very  large 
gathering. 

The  temple  was  dedicated  May  23,  1914,  by  M.  W.  Grand  Master  Edgar  H. 
Parkman,  assisted  by  his  associate  grand  lodge  officers  in  the  presence  of  a  large 
number  of  the  brethren. 

A  beautiful  bronze  medal  was  made  to  commemorate  the  dedication  of  the 
temple.  The  dies  were  cut  by  Alpheus  E.  Betts  of  Harmony  Lodge  and  were 
presented  to  the  corporation  by  him.  The  medals  were  also  presented  to  the 
corporation  by  members  of  the  fraternity  employed  by  the  Waterbury  branches 
of  the  American  Brass  Company,  where  the  metal  was  made  and  rolled. 

The  present  officers  of  the  Temple  Corporation  are :  Vice  president  and  treas- 
urer, Robert  S.  Walker ;  secretary,  Willis  M.  Hall ;  owing  to  death  of  N.  J.  Wel- 
ton,  there  is  at  present  a  vacancy  in  the  presidency.  Directors,  George  C.  Curtiss, 
Franklin  B.  Daniels,  Willis  M.  Hall,  John  R.  Hughes,  Almon  C.  Judd,  Carl  E. 
Munger,  Henry  H.  Peck,  Albert  Schumaker,  John  R.  Smith,  Robert  S.  Walker. 

THE   ODD   FELLOWS 

The  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  is,  next  to  the  Masonic  order,  the 
oldest  and  strongest  of  the  secret  fraternal  orders  in  Waterbury.  Nosahogan 
Lodge,  No.  21,  now  has  a  membership  of  940,  and  one  of  its  members,  George  M. 
Chapman,  is  at  present  at  the  head  of  the  order  in  the  state. 

Nosahogan  Lodge  celebrated  both  its  fiftieth  and  its  seventieth  anniversaries 
in  the  last  quarter  century,  both  celebrations  being  the  occasion  of  a  large  state 
gathering.     It  was  organized  July  1,  1845. 

Together  with  Townsend  Lodge  it  has  now  entertained  the  Grand  Lodge 
of  the  state  three  times  since  1892,  and  will  again  entertain  it  in  1918.  In  1892 
George  H.  Cowell,  a  member  of  Nosahogan  Lodge,  was  grand  master.  The  next 
meeting  of  the  Grand  Lodge  was  held  in  1898,  when  John  Blair,  another  member 
of  Nosahogan  Lodge,  was  retiring  from  the  office  of  grand  master.  It  met  again 
in  Waterbury  in  1910,  when  Wm.  E.  Thorns  was  grand  master.  In  1918  it  will 
hold  a  session  in  Waterbury,  George  M.  Chapman,  grand  master  and  a  member 
of  Townsend  Lodge,  closing  his  term  as  head  of  the  order  in  the  state. 

Nosahogan  Lodge  has  had  the  honor  of  having  ten  of  its  members  in  the 
mayoralty  chair.  Of  the  later  ones  this  includes  former  Mayors  Reeves,  Thorns, 
Bradley,  Webster,  Barlow,  and  Mayor-Elect  Sandland.    Judges  Kellogg  and  Bur- 


252  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

pee  of  the  Superior  Court  are  prominent  members.  Former  Chief  of  Police  E<*an 
and  the  present  chief,  Geo.  M.  Beach,  are  enthusiastic  members  of  Nosahogan 
Lodge. 

One  of  the  most  beneficent  features  of  Nosahogan  Lodge  is  its  mutual  aid 
association.  This  was  instituted  on  May  2,  1884,  and  pays  death  benefits  of  $250 
to  widows  of  deceased  members,  and  pays  sick  benefits  of  $6  weekly  for  thirteen 
weeks.  In  1906  its  method  of  assessment  was  altered  and  is  now  graded  according 
to  age.  On  December  10,  1917,  all  its  bills  were  paid  and  it  had  in  the  treasury 
$5,761.33.     It  paid  out  in  1917  $1,471. 

Its  officers  are:  President,  Herbert  J.  Phillips;  secretary,  George  M.  Egan ; 
treasurer,  Homer  G.  Filley. 

The  present  officers  of  Nosahogan  Lodge  are :  Noble  grand,  Lester  J.  Smith ; 
vice  grand,  Robert  Gardner ;  recording  secretary,  R.  C.  Frink ;  financial  secretary, 
Wm.  H.  Lowe;  treasurer,  Peter  B.  Reeves;  board  of  trustees,  Francis  T.  Reeves, 
W.  J.  Larkin,  F.  C.  Fromm. 

The  past  noble  grands  of  Nosahogan  Lodge  since  1893  are  as  follows :  Herbert 
J.  Phillips,  Seron  Decker,  William  J.  Larkin,  Charles  H.  Tomlinson,  Frederick 
E.  Cross,  William  B.  Kelsey,  John  H.  Guernsey,  Charles  H.  Keach,  John  J.  Sie- 
bert,  Edward  L.  Bronson,  Charles  P.  Haight,  William  A.  Chase,  William  E. 
Thorns,  Charles  F.  Pierson,  Clayton  M.  Andrews,  Peter  B.  Reeves,  Adam  Callan, 
Addison  A.  Ashborn,  Albert  H.  Mills,  William  E.  Wildman,  Franklin  B.  Fischer, 
W.  M.  Ashborn,  G.  T.  Fuller,  James  A.  Callan,  Edmund  B.  Stocking,  O.  P.  Arm- 
bruster,  F.  C.  Fromm,  John  H.  Morrow,  C.  H.  Granger,  H.  C.  Dews,  C.  E.  Mann, 
A.  F.  Ells,  E.  S.  Ross,  H.  R.  Dews,  R.  C.  Frink,  F.  B.  Williams,  W.  J.  Pettis, 
Geo.  Delevieleuse,  Jr.,  Geo.  A.  Smith,  F.  A.  Hungerford,  H.  J.  Reynolds,  R.  C. 
Perry,  F.  E.  Hanchett,  H.  G.  Reynolds,  A.  B.  Phillips,  Edward  Shepard,  Lester 
J.  Smith. 

Townsend  Lodge,  No.  89,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  was  organized  January  1,  1872,  by  a 
group  of  members  from  Nosahogan  Lodge.  In  1895  its  membership  was  339. 
It  is  today,  19 17,  860. 

The  present  officers  are  as  follows:  Noble  grand,  Louis  F.  Marggraff;  vice 
grand,  Louis  F.  Hine ;  recording  secretary,  Colin  F.  Wilson ;  financial  secretary, 
George  M.  Chapman;  treasurer,  Henry  A.  Hoadley. 

Ansantawae  Encampment,  No.  20,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  was  organized  September  25, 
1853.  Today  its  membership  is  575,  consisting  of  members  of  both  Odd  Fellow 
lodges  who  expressed  a  desire  to  take  higher  degrees  in  the  order.  Its  officers 
for  1917  are:  Chief  Patriarch,  Louis  F.  Hine;  high  priest,  John  H.  Schaff ;  senior 
warden,  O.  Perry;  junior  warden,  William  McKee ;  scribe,  William  H.  Lowe; 
treasurer,  Peter  B.  Reeves. 

Canton  T.  R.  Martin,  No.  8,  Patriarchs  Militant,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  which  is  the 
uniformed  rank  of  the  order,  was  named  after  its  first  commander,  November 
16,  1893,  although  it  had  been  instituted  on  May  30,  1883,  first  as  the  Ives  Degree 
Camp,  No.  9,  and  later,  March  31,  1886,  as  Canton  Waterbury.  It  now  has  a 
membership  of  no.  Its  present  officers  are:  Captain.  Karl  L.  Winter;  lieu- 
tenant, Louis  Marggraff;  ensign,  Louis  Wenzel;  clerk,  Robert  A.  Babcock; 
accountant,  G.  A.  Stafstrom. 

On  June  15,  1892,  Winona  Lodge,  No.  8,  of  the  Daughters  of  Rebekah  was 
instituted  with  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Geddes  as  first  noble  grand.  On  January  1,  1893, 
its  membership  was  over  one  hundred.  It  today  has  a  membership  of  nearly 
three  hundred.  The  officers  at  present  are :  Noble  grand,  Winona  Russell ;  vice 
grand,  Mrs.  Margarite  Maxwell;  recording  secretary,  Mrs.  Ida  Wildman;  finan- 
cial secretary,  Mrs.  Ada  Reeves;  treasurer,  Mrs.  Tillie  Cleveland. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  253 

The  Odd  Fellows  Hall  Association  holds  meetings  the  third  Friday  in  Janu- 
ary, April,  July  and  October.  The  president  is  W.  J.  Larkin ;  secretary  and 
treasurer,  F.  W.  Tate. 

These  are  the  activities  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

In  addition  there  is  a  lodge  known  as  Loyal  Pride  of  the  Valley,  Xo.  7223, 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  Manchester  Unit}-,  which  was  instituted  September  30,  1893.  Its 
present  officers  are:  Noble  grand,  James  Pheden;  vice  grand,  Anthony  Carabina; 
P.  S.,  George  Holton;  treasurer,  George  S.  Fields. 

The  Odd  Fellow  lodge  organized  by  colored  men  is  known  as  Brass  City 
Lodge,  No.  3049,  Grand  United  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  organized  November  iO. 
1888.  Its  present  officers  are  :  N.  G.,  A.  Wooders  ;  P.  S.,  J.  B.  Lassiter ;  treasurer, 
Shepard  Mnnn ;  P.  N.,  F.  W.  W.  Holland;  N.  F.,  Isaac  Broman. 

Household  of  Ruth,  No.  799,  G.  U.  O.  of  O.  F.,  which  is  the  woman's  adjunct 
of  the  Brass  City  Lodge,  was  organized  November  2^,  1892,  and  at  present  has 
the  following  officers:  M.,  N.  G.  Ella  McKinney ;  P.  M.,  N.  G.  Vandellia  Louther; 
prelate,  Susan  Brown ;  W.  R.,  Henrietta  Hatcher ;  treasurer,  J.  Edward  Jones. 

The  Odd  Fellows  Hall  was  dedicated  October  15,  1895,  celebrating  the  ending 
of  a  half  century  of  existence  of  the  order  in  Waterbury.  The  association  was 
organized  in  June,  1892,  with  Past  Grand  Master  George  H.  Cowell  as  president; 
Past  Grand  John  Blair,  vice  president;  Past  Grand  Casimir  H.  Bronson,  secre- 
tary, and  Henry  T.  Stedman,  treasurer.  A  charter  was  granted  and  the  capital 
stock,  placed  at  $40,000,  was  soon  subscribed.  One  of  the  first  acts  of  the  asso- 
ciation was  the  purchase  of  the  property  owmed  and  occupied  by  the  Second 
Congregational  Society  at  the  east  end  of  the  Green  and  in  1894  a  board  of 
directors  and  a  building  committee  were  elected  to  carry  out  the  building  project. 
The  directors  were  George  H.  Cowell,  Henry  T.  Stedman,  David  B.  Wilson,  Jay 
H.  Hart,  Benjamin  L.  Coe,  Herbert  W.  Lake,  James  S.  Gailey,  Henry  L.  Wade, 
John  Blair,  Albert  I.  Chatfield,  Thomas  D.  Barlow,  Henry  W.  French,  Casimir 
H.  Bronson,  Frederick  E.  Cross.  The  building  committee  consisted  of  George 
H.  Cowell,  Albert  I.  Chatfield,  Herbert  W.  Lake.  The  plans  were  drawn  by  Wil- 
fred E.  Griggs,  a  member  of  the  order.  The  corner  stone  was  laid  November  27, 
1894,  and  the  building  was  dedicated  October  15,  1895. 

It  is  well  to  chronicle  again  the  fact  that  in  October,  1892,  the  Odd  Fellows 
Home  for  Aged  and  Infirm  Members  was  opened  in  New  London,  a  result  of  the 
efforts  of  Grand  Master  George  H.  Cowell,  of  Waterbury,  who  made  the  first 
contribution  of  $500. 

On  April  21,  1895,  what  was  known  as  Connecticut  Lodge,  No.  6,  International 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  was  organized  as  a  Catholic  branch  of  the  Odd  Fellows. 
It  began  with  a  membership  of  34,  and  with  D.  H.  Tierney  as  its  first  noble  grand. 
The  growth  was  slow  and  the  flow  of  Catholic  membership  towards  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  compelled  its  promoters  to  dissolve  it  in  1902.  Its  last  officers  were : 
Noble  grand,  Michael  Driscoll;  vice  grand,  Thomas  Donahue;  recording  secre- 
tary, John  S.  Neagle ;  corresponding  secretary,  John  J.  Geraghty ;  treasurer,  Daniel 
E.  Cronin. 

KNIGHTS  OF  PYTHIAS 

Speedwell  Lodge,  No.  10,  K.  of  P.,  is  still  one  of  the  banner  lodges  of  the 
state,  a  reputation  it  acquired  at  the  state  encampment  held  in  Waterbury  in 
September,  1894.  Out  of  this  lodge  has  come  a  group  of  notable  Pythian 
activities,  both  in  the  way  of  splendid  beneficiary  work  and  also  of  military  training 
in  the  uniformed  rank.  The  membership  of  the  order  in  Waterbury  today  is 
placed  at  over  2,000. 


254  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

The  officers  of  Speedwell  Lodge  at  present  are :  Chancellor  commander,  Edwin 
E.  Fry;  vice  chancellor,  Wm.  Klebes;  prelate,  Frank  P.  Dews;  master  of  works, 
C.  Rockwell  Clyne ;  keeper  of  record  and  seals,  Frank  J.  Ogden  ;  master  of  finance, 
Frank  M.  Treat;  master  of  exchequer,  Clifford  Wells;  master  of  arms,  Benjamin 
Port ;  inner  guard,  George  Wells ;  outer  guard,  Harry  Upson ;  physician,  Dr.  Ed- 
ward Kirschbaum  ;  trustees,  Dr.  Fred  Marggraff,  George  Wells,  Edward  Wells. 

Speedwell  Lodge  on  December  10  had  287  members. 

The  Pythian  Aid  Association  of  Speedwell  Lodge  is  now  in  its  twenty-fifth 
year  of  existence.  It  pays  $5  a  week  sick  benefit,  and  $100  death  benefit.  It  has 
125  members.  Its  officers  are:  President,  George  H.  Wrells;  secretary,  E.  R. 
Snagg;  treasurer,  Edward  B.  Condet. 

The  past  chancellor  commanders  of  Speedwell  Lodge,  Knights  of  Pythias, 
from  1893  to  191 7  are  as  follows :  George  W.  Kinney,  James  A.  Knox,  Clyde  M. 
Howard,  Wm.  E.  Thorns,  Wm.  R.  Hitchcock,  John  A.  Hitchcock,  Lewis  M.  Hol- 
land, Ed.  B.  Condet,  Benjamin  Fairclough,  Arthur  J.  Leonard,  Frederick  C.  Marg- 
graff, G.  Fred  Moore,  P.  Besancon,  George  F.  Lancaster,  Arthur  M.  lies,  Ralph 
Stoddard,  Robert  Babcock,  Frank  L.  Snagg,  Wallace  Duxbury,  Dr.  Edward  H. 
Kirschbaum,  Joseph  G.  Kirschbaum. 

Comstock  Lodge,  No.  13,  K.  of  P.,  was  instituted  October  30,  1883.  Its 
officers  at  present  are  :  Chancellor  commander,  James  Miller ;  keeper  of  record  and 
seals,  Martin  L.  Wiegner;  master  of  finance,  Nelson  F.  Thomas;  master  of  ex- 
chequer, George  E.  Petit  jean. 

The  past  chancellor  commanders  of  Comstock  Lodge  since  1893  are  as  fol- 
lows :  Charles  S.  Bradley,  J.  C.  Lang,  W.  W.  McLennan,  John  M.  Newell,  John 
Houston,  F.  S.  Phelps,  W.  H.  Black,  Charles  Manville,  Leon  L.  Hall,  Percy  D. 
Petitjean,  Leonard  S.  Tenney,  Carl  Kilborn,  Charles  S.  Townsend,  Adam  Wilkie, 
James  Miller. 

Good  Will  Lodge,  No.  53,  K.  of  P.,  in  Waterville,  was  instituted  April  30, 
1894.  Its  officers  at  present  are:  Chancellor  commander,  William  Bower;  keeper 
of  record  and  seals,  Charles  H.  Draper;  master  of  exchequer,  Joseph  A.  Gagnon; 
master  of  finance,  Newell  Porch. 

Magnolia  Lodge,  No.  60,  K.  of  P.,  was  instituted  May  13,  1896.  Its  officers 
at  present  are :  Chancellor  commander,  Wm.  P.  Jones  ;  keeper  of  record  and  seals, 
H.  S.  Miller ;  master  of  finance,  John  C.  Clarke ;  master  of  exchequer,  Charles 
Drubva. 

The  Uniformed  Rank,  Knights  of  Pythias,  now  has  its  state  headquarters 
in  Waterbury,  with  George  E.  Petitjean  brigade  commander,  Col.  Martin  L. 
Wiegner,  assistant  adjutant  general,  and  Col.  William  Tysoe,  assistant  quarter- 
master general. 

This  change  of  headquarters  to  Waterbury  was  made  in  19 16.  There  is 
under  the  brigade  commander  in  this  part  of  the  state  the  second  regiment,  which 
consists  of  the  companies  from  Salisbury,  Torrington,  Bristol,  Waterbury,  Meri- 
den,  Waterville.  In  1909  when  it  was  organized  as  a  regiment,  its  first  colonel 
was  L.  L.  Hall.  He  was  succeeded  in  1912  by  George  E.  Petitjean,  who  remained 
in  command  until  1916.  The  second  regiment  now  has  the  following  officers: 
Colonel,  Fred  Gauthier,  Hartford;  lieutenant  colonel,  Nelson  F.  Thomas;  major 
first  battalion,  Christian  Hanson,  Hartford;  major  second  battalion,  Charles  H. 
Draper;  adjutant  lieutenant,  D.  Brooks  Rubin;  quartermaster  lieutenant,  John 
Wheeler. 

The  two  Waterbury  companies  are  officered  as  follows: 

E.  F.  Durand  Company,  No.  11,  Uniformed  Rank,  K.  P.,  was  instituted 
April   1,   1890.     The  present  officers  are:    Captain,  Frank  J.  Ogden;  first  lieu- 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  255 

tenant,  Joseph  T.  Dick;  second  lieutenant,  Frank  T.  Dews;  treasurer,  Albert  C. 
Kaecher;  recorder,  Wallace  Duxbury. 

The  past  captains  of  E.  F.  Durand  Div.  U.  R.,  K.  P.  from  1893  to  I9I7  were: 

F.  R.   White,   C.   L.   Chapelle,   Charles   Schmidt,   Frank  J.   Ogden,  Edward  J. 
Schuyler,  Wilfred  L.  Snow,  F.  B.  F.  Wallace,  Ernest  C.  Colby. 

Waterbury  Company.  Xo.  20.  U.  R.,  K.  P.,  was  instituted  .May  3,  1894.  Its 
officers  at  present  arc:  Captain,  Wade  S.  Manville;  first  lieutenant,  Adam  Wilkie ; 
second  lieutenant.  S.  G.  MacDonald;  recorder.  Martin  L.  Wiegner;  treasurer,  Eli 

G.  Main. 

The  past  captains  of  Waterbury  Company,  U.  R.,  K.  P.,  1894  to  1917  are: 
(  .eorge  E.  Petitjean.  Wm.  R.  Keaveney,  David  Miller,  Frank  R.  White,  M.  L. 
Wiegner,  Jean  Ingraham,  George  A.  Pouard,  Nelson  F.  Thomas,  Loren  S.  Chase, 
Wade  S.  Manville. 

The  following  are  the  officers  of  Waterville  Company,  U.  R.,  K.  of  P. :  (Dap- 
tain,  L.  L.  Northrop ;  first  lieutenant,  Howard  C.  Post ;  second  lieutenant,  William 
Draper ;  recorder,  Joseph  Davis ;  treasurer,  Charles  H.  Draper. 

Section  No.  3275,  Insurance  Department,  K.  of  P.,  was  instituted  September, 
1896.  The  president  is  William  H.  Strickland ;  secretary  and  treasurer,  Martin 
L.  Wiegner. 

Myrtle  Temple,  Pythian  Sisters,  has  the  following  officers :  M.  of  R.  and  C, 
Minnie  Hitchcock;  M.  of  F.,  Charlotte  Harmon. 

Ivy  Temple,  No.  5,  Pythian  Sisters,  has  the  following  officers :  M.  E.  C.  Mrs. 
Adelia  Fields;  M.  of  R.  and  C,  Mrs.  L.  Dutton;  M.  of  F.,  Mrs.  Lottie  Petitjean. 

Section  248,  Endowment  Rank,  K.  of  P.,  was  instituted  in  1892.  Its  presi- 
dent from  1893  to  I9°9  was  Joseph  H.  Somers.  After  that  date,  all  the  official 
work  has  been  looked  after  by  its  secretary  and  treasurer,  Henry  Baumgartner. 
Its  membership  is  small. 

Friedrich  Wilhelm  Lodge,  Knights  of  Pythias,  organized  in  1876,  was  a 
thriving  German  Lodge  in  1893.  It  was  dissolved  in  1901,  and  its  members 
joined  other  lodges  of  the  order.  Its  past  chancellor  commanders  from  1893 
to  1901  were:  P.  Meerlaender,  Charles  Schmidt,  Otto  Haude,  M.  Vogt,  E.  Ker- 
sten,  C.  E.  Hassler,  O.  Tuebner,  Frank  Deharde. 

WATERBURY  LODGE,  B.  P.  O.  ELKS 

The  Order  of  Elks  was  instituted  in  1867,  by  a  few  members  of  the  theatrical 
profession,  drawn  together  for  social  intercourse.  It  has  developed  into  a  wide- 
spread and  powerful  order  of  benevolence  and  charity,  with  lodges  in  over  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  of  the  principal  cities  of  the  Union.  Nearly  all  of  the  rep- 
utable male  members  of  theatrical  profession  are  members  of  the  order,  and  on  its 
roll  of  membership  will  be  found  the  names  of  prominent  officials,  merchants, 
bankers,  journalists,  legal  and  medical  men  and  bright  lights  of  the  world  in  art, 
literature  and  music. 

Waterbury  Lodge  was  instituted  on  June  15,  1893.  It  was  the  sixth 
Elk  lodge  organized  in  Connecticut.  The  charter  members  numbered  thirty-four 
and  the  first  officers  of  the  lodge  were  as  follows :  Exalted  ruler,  Michael  J. 
Colloty;  esteemed  leading  knight,  William  Hellmann;  esteemed  loyal  knight,  Ed- 
ward J.  Starr;  esteemed  lecturing  knight,  John  F.  Holohan ;  secretary,  Joseph  A. 
Cullen ;  treasurer.  James  E.  Watts  ;  esquire,  William  D.  Richardson  ;  tyler,  Edward 
E.  Harvey ;  chaplain.  Thomas  J.  Moran ;  organist,  John  H.  Christie ;  inner  guard, 
William  T.  Carroll ;  trustees,  David  T.  Mack,  David  David,  William  Johnson. 

It  furnished  a  suite  of  rooms  at  108  Bank  Street,  where  it  held  its  meetings  and 


256  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

its  affairs  until  the  fire  of  1902  completely  destroyed  its  effects.  For  three  years 
it  had  rooms  in  the  Waterbury  Trust  Company  Building,  but  in  1909  it  raised 
the  funds  for  the  purchase  of  the  Curtiss  Home  on  West  Main  Street.  In  1910 
it  built  its  beautiful  home  back  of  the  old  residence,  and  the  dedication  exercises 
were  attended  by  notable  Elks  from  all  over  the  country. 

In  1914  Truman  S.  Lewis  offered  the  club  $16,000  for  the  complete  interior 
renovating  of  the  old  building  and  its  outfitting.  When  the  work  was  completed, 
the  cost  amounted  to  $26,100,  and  Mr.  Lewis  insisted  on  making  this  the  amount 
of  his  donation.    This  included  the  new  bowling  alleys  and  tennis  courts. 

Its  present  officers  are :  Exalted  ruler,  Truman  S.  Lewis ;  secretary,  Edward 
F.  Moran;  treasurer,  Maurice  C.  Culhane;  tyler,  John  F.  Griffin. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  past  exalted  rulers:  Michael  J.  Colloty, 
William  D.  Richardson,  Christopher  Strobel,  Richard  F.  Grady,  Edward  L. 
Maloney,  John  H.  Cassidy,  James  E.  Madigan,  William  H.  Johnston,  William 
J.  Spain,  Acly  W.  Castle,  Charles  A.  Jackson,  Lewis  M.  Holland,  William  J. 
Shannahan,  Thomas  B.  Carney,  Harry  J.  Cook,  Milton  V.  Medling,  Andrew  D. 
Dawson. 

KNIGHTS    OF    COLUMBUS 

The  Knights  of  Columbus,  a  fraternal  and  beneficent  society  of  Catholic  men, 
was  founded  in  New  Haven  February  2,  1882,  by  Father  M.  J.  McGivney,  a 
Waterbury  man,  whose  grave  in  St.  Joseph's  Cemetery  has  become  a  shrine  for 
members  of  the  order  from  all  over  the  country.  The  purpose  of  the  society  is 
thus  stated :  "To  develop  a  practical  Catholicity  among  its  members,  to  promote 
Catholic  education  and  charity,  and  through  its  insurance  department,  to  furnish 
at  least  temporary  financial  aid  to  the  families  of  deceased  members." 

Waterbury's  two  councils  have  been  heavy  contributors  to  all  the  national 
movements  of  the  order,  including  the  gift  of  $50,000  for  the  endowment  of  a 
chair  of  American  history  in  the  Catholic  university  in  Washington,  and  the  fund 
for  the  monument  to  Columbus  at  Washington. 

Sheridan  Council  of  Waterbury  was  one  of  the  twenty-five  highest  donors  to 
the  university  fund  which  was  formally  presented  April  14,  1904. 

On  April  27,  1885,  steps  were  taken  to  organize  the  first  Waterbury  Council 
of  the  order,  and  on  May  3,  the  initiation  took  place  in  the  G.  A.  R.  Hall.  The 
first  officers  were:  Cornelius  Maloney,  grand  knight;  M.  F.  Connolly,  deputy 
grand  Knight;  J.  A.  Hynes,  recording  secretary;  Matthew  Kennedy,  treasurer; 
W.  F.  Dillon,  lecturer;  T.  D.  Healy,  advocate;  J.  J.  Donegan,  warden;  T.  F. 
Butler,  outside  guard;  D.  J.  Mahaney,  inside  guard;  J.  H.  Fruin,  H.  D.  Smythe, 
assistant  guards;  D.  J.  Gaynor,  J.  J.  Egan,  W.  E.  Buckley,  trustees;  J.  J.  Neville, 
physician. 

Sheridan  Council  had  grown  to  such  an  extent  that  on  February  3,  1886, 
the  first  move  was  made  to  organize  a  new  council  to  be  known  as  Carrolton 
Council.  On  March  24,  1886,  in  Sheridan  Hall,  East  Main  Street,  the  new  coun- 
cil was  instituted,  the  degrees  conferred  and  the  officers  installed  by  District 
Deputy  Cornelius  Maloney.  The  following  were  the  first  officers  and  members 
of  the  new  council:  J.  A.  Moran,  grand  knight;  D.  H.  Tierney,  deputy  grand 
knight;  M.  H.  Brennan,  chancellor;  George  Byrnes,  recording  secretary;  T.  F. 
Jackson,  financial  secretary;  D.  T.  Hart,  treasurer;  M.  F.  Spellman,  warden; 
M.  J.  Jordan,  inside  guard ;  J.  H.  Kilduff,  outside  guard ;  Dr.  E.  W.  McDonald, 
physician ;  D.  H.  McGraw,  Robert  McGrath,  W.  S.  Jones,  J.  E.  Watts,  John  J. 
Jackson,  Peter  Lamb,  D.  H.  Buckley,  A.  J.  McMahon. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  N'AUGATUCK  VALLEY  257 

This  was  dissolved  May  6,  1895,  and  its  members  at  once  affiliated  with  Sher- 
idan Council. 

On  December  16,  1888,  Sheridan  Council  moved  from  G.  A.  R.  Hall  to  St. 
Patrick's  Hall,  going-  two  years  later  to  Pythian  Hall.  In  1896  it  met  in  Elks 
Hall  in  the  Jones-Morgan  Building,  and  January  1,  1902,  moved  to  Knights  of 
Columbus  Hall  at  43  East  Main  Street,  where  it  is  now  domiciled  and  where  its 
social  adjunct,  the  Columbus  Club,  occupies  the  floor  below  its  meeting  place. 

The  past  grand  knights  of  Sheridan  Council  are  as  follows:  Cornelius  Ma- 
loney,  J.  J.  McDonald,  B.  F.  Reid,  J.  A.  Moran,  J.  D.  Bolan,  J.  W.  Wigmore, 
J.  W.  McDonald,  J.  E.  Smith,  T.  F.  Donovan,  J.  A.  Hynes,  E.  J.  Finn,  Lucien 
Wolff,  John  J.  Galvin,  P.  II.  Real,  Charles  E.  Finley,  E.  J.  Real,  Thomas  B. 
Carney,  Dr.  D.  J.  Donahue,  M.  J.  Carney,  John  L.  Gaffney,  Wm.  F.  Moher. 

Its  membership  now  is  approximately  five  hundred. 

The  present  officers  are :  Grand  knight,  John  L.  Gaffney;  deputy  grand  knight, 
Timothy  F.  Barry;  recording  secretary,  William  F.  Guilfoile;  financial  secretary, 
Thomas  F.  Behan. 

On  August  10,  1887,  in  the  hall  of  Sheridan  Council,  the  third  council, 
which  was  known  as  Barcelona  Council,  No.  42,  was  instituted  and  officers  in- 
stalled as  follows  by  District  Deputy  Cornelius  Maloney :  Grand  knight,  fohn  F. 
Bossidy ;  deputy  grand  knight,  Thomas  Kane ;  financial  secretary,  J.  J.  Madden ; 
recording  secretary,  Jeremiah  Crowley;  treasurer,  Wm.  C.  McDonald;  warden, 
Wm.  J.  Delaney;  inside  guard,  Thomas  Bergin;  outside  guard,  Thomas  Fleming; 
physician,  Dr.  J.  F.  Hayes. 

The  members  of  Barcelona  Council  joined  with  Sheridan  members  in  organ- 
izing the  Columbus  Club.  In  1917  Barcelona's  principal  officers  were:  Grand 
knight,  William  F.  Ryan ;  recording  secretary,  Thomas  Dodds ;  financial  secretary, 
Michael  F.  Conlon;  treasurer,  Walter  E.  Monagan. 

There  have  been  two  other  councils,  Hendricken,  established  in  1899  and  dis- 
solved in  1909,  and  Mulcahy  Council,  established  in  1900  and  dissolved  in  1910. 
Both  were  active  for  a  time,  but  the  membership  was  finally  merged  with  both 
Sheridan  and  Barcelona  Councils. 

The  first  annual  pilgrimage  to  the  grave  of  Father  McGivney.  founder  of  the 
order  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  took  place  June  10,  1900.  Sheridan  entered 
heartily  into  the  affair,  and  on  June  10  visiting  knights  from  New  York,  Brook- 
lyn and  many  places  in  Connecticut,  with  their  friends  to  the  number  of 
about  five  thousand  came  to  Waterbury.  The  local  councils  prepared  for  them  on  a 
grand  scale,  and  this  everft  was  one  of  the  most  memorable  in  the  history  of  the 
order.  New  and  increased  interest  was  taken  in  the  Knights  of  Columbus  at  once, 
and  as  a  result,  the  old  councils  received  a  number  of  new  members. 

The  second  annual  pilgrimage  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  to  the  grave  of  the 
founder  of  the  order,  Rev.  M.  J.  McGivney,  took  place  June  10,  1901. 

The  insurance  feature  has  been  greatly  altered  since  the  inception  of  the 
society.  At  present  it  is  confined  to  three  classes,  one,  two  and  three  thousand, 
and  payments  are  made  by  assessment  and  according  to  age. 

Columbus  Club  occupies  the  greater  part  of  the  third  floor  at  43  East  Main 
Street.  This  has  been  finely  furnished,  has  billiard  and  pool  tables,  a  complete 
library,  and  files  of  many  newspapers  and  magazines.  It  is  now  five  years  old. 
Its  first  officers  were:  President,  Charles  J.  Finley;  secretary,  Frank  J.  Hogan ; 
treasurer,  Edward  J.  Real. 

Its  present  officers  are:  President,  T.  F.  Barry;  secretary,  Paul  Schultze ; 
treasurer,  Raymond  F.  Downey. 

The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  December,  1917,  raised  $35,000  for  the  order's 

Vol.  1—17 


258  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

national  "camp"  fund,  which  is  to  be  used  along  the  lines  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  for 
the  benefit  of  the  boys  in  the  army. 

ANCIENT   ORDER   OF    HIBERNIANS 

In  1895  the  Ancient  Order  of  Hibernians  with  a  membership  of  1,600  was 
operating  in  five  divisions,  all  of  which  held  meetings  in  St.  Patrick's  Hall.  Their 
presidents  were :  Division  No.  1,  James  E.  Finley ;  Division  No.  2,  John  M.  Lynch ; 
Divison  No.  3,  James  P.  Morris;  Division  No.  4,  John  H.  Moran;  Division  No.  5, 
M.  Doran.  These  had  been  organized  respectively  in  1874,  1884,  1886,  1888  and 
the  fifth  on  October  12,   1893. 

In  1898  the  growth  had  been  such  that  a  sixth  division  was  organized  with 
John  H.  Powers  as  president,  Patrick  K.  Finnan  as  recording  secretary,  Charles 
E.  McDonald  as  financial  secretary,  and  J.  H.  Mulville  as  treasurer.  Meeting 
places  had  again  been  changed,  Divisions  2,  4  and  5  meeting  in  Hibernian  Hall 
at  73  East  Main  Street.  The  first  and  sixth  met  at  G.  A.  R.  Hall,  and  the  third 
in  Congress  Hall. 

In  1903  the  interest  in  the  order  was  at  its  highest,  and  a  ladies'  auxiliary  was 
formed,  with  Margaret  Crane  as  president,  Mary  Cavanaugh  as  vice  president, 
Annie  Meara  as  recording  secretary,  Mary  Halpin  as  financial  secretary,  and 
Mary  Phelan  as  treasurer. 

In  1904.  Company  E,  Hibernian  Rifles,  was  organized  with  John  Griffin  as 
captain,  William  Moher,  first  lieutenant,  and  John  P.  Sheehan  as  second  lieutenant. 
An  experienced  drill  master  was  engaged  and  drills  were  held  from  October  1st 
to  May  1st  every  Tuesday  in  Hibernian  Hall.  From  1908  until  1916  it  held  its 
drills  on  Sundays. 

In  191 1  Peter  Griffin  became  first  lieutenant  and  Patrick  Shanahan  second 
lieutenant.  In  191 2  Peter  Griffin  became  captain,  Patrick  Shanahan  first  lieu- 
tenant, and  William  Driscoll  second  lieutenant. 

Company  E,  Hibernian  Rifles,  which  is  still  in  existence,  with  Peter  Griffin 
as  captain,  Patrick  Shanahan,  first  lieutenant,  and  William  Driscoll  as  second 
lieutenant,  has  held  no  drills  since  191 6,  owing  to  the  fact  that  many  of  Its  mem- 
bers either  volunteered  or  were  called  out  in  the  draft. 

In  1905  Division  No.  6,  which  had  suffered  a  loss  in  membership,  gave  up  its 
charter  and  its  members  joined  the  other  divisions. 

The  order  now  began  to  feel  the  encroachments  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
on  its  membership  and  interest  waned  to  some  extent.  In  1909  the  members 
of  the  second  and  fifth  divisions  joined  to  form  Monsignor  Slocum  Branch  with 
these  officers :  President,  D.  J.  Slavin ;  vice  president,  T.  F.  Luddy ;  recording 
secretary,  P.  Shanahan;  financial  secretary,  Joseph  McGrail,  and  M.  Bergin, 
treasurer.  In  19 10  the  members  of  Division  No.  1  dissolved  and  joined  the  re- 
maining branches,  Divisions  Nos.  3  and  4  and  Monsignor  Slocum  Division. 
These  are  the  organizations  in  existence  today. 

The  present  officers  of  the  various  organizations  connected  with  the  order 
follow : 

Division  No.  3:  President,  Timothy  F.  Luddy;  financial  secretary,  John 
Kearney ;  recording  secretary,  Patrick  Kendrick ;  treasurer,  John  Claffey. 

Division  No.  4:  President,  Patrick  McFadden;  financial  secretary,  Bernard 
Whiteny ;  recording  secretary,  Joseph  Holahan ;  treasurer,  John  D.  Carey. 

Ladies'  Auxiliary,  A.  O.  H.:  President,  Mrs.  Charles  A.  Jackson;  recording 
secretary,  Nellie  Lynch ;  financial  secretary,  Mary  E.  Kelly ;  treasurer,  Mrs.  John 
Lynch ;  chaplain,  Rev.  Luke  Fitzsimons. 


WATERBUKV  AXI)  THE  NAUGATUCK  \  ALLEY  259 

Mgr.  Slocum  Branch,  A.  O.  H. :  President,  William  II.  Dunleavy;  reeording 
secretary,  William  J.  Driscoll;  financial  secretary,  John  J.  Foran;  treasurer, 
George  A.  Hynes. 

ANCIENT    ORDER   OF    UNITED    WORKMEN 

Waterbury  Lodge,   No.   5,  of  the  Ancient   Order  of  United  Workmen  was 
instituted  August  3,   1880,  with  twelve  charter  members.     This  grew  to  250  in 
1895  and  today  is  close  to  that  figure.    The  officers  at  present  are:   master  work- 
man,   [.  E.  Sandland;  recorder,  J.  A.  Garde;  treasurer,  G.  M.  Egan;  receiver 
L.  A.  Totten. 

American  Lodge,  No.  44,  was  instituted  January  23,  1890.  Its  officers  at 
present  are :  Master  workman,  Anthony  Moore ;  recorder,  Ellsworth  G.  Reynolds ; 
financier,  Henry  J.  Reynolds. 

Connecticut  Lodge,  No.  52,  was  instituted  May  18,  1892.  Its  present  officers 
are:  Master  workman,  W.  H.  Brakenridge;  recorder,  Charles  Baumgartner; 
financier,  James  McKnight. 

ANCIENT    ORDER    OF    FORESTERS 

There  are  now  in  existence  in  the  United  States  four  distinct  orders  which 
use  the  name  "Foresters."  The  original  lodge  formed  in  Waterbury,  July  8, 
1874,  Court  Fruitful  Vine,  No.  5991,  Ancient  Order  of  Foresters,  was  and  is 
still  under  the  English  jurisdiction.  In  1889,  When  the  first  separation  came,  the 
courts  upheld  it  in  its  right  to  the  title,  "Ancient  Order  of  Foresters." 

The  present  officers  of  Court  Frutiful  Vine  are :  Chief  ranger,  George  John- 
son ;  past  chief  ranger,  Arthur  W.  Thompson ;  recording  secretary,  J.  W.  Mc- 
Keller ;  financial  secretary,  Donald  McKeller ;  treasurer,  Charles  E.  Turner. 

FORESTERS    OF    AMERICA 

In  1889  the  American  order  assumed  the  title  "Foresters  of  America"  and  was 
completely  separated  from  its  English  connections.  In  1893  it  was  an  independent 
American  order. 

It  had  nine  courts,  three  side  degrees  and  about  twelve  hundred  members. 
Today  it  has  fourteen  courts,  with  a  membership  over  double  that  of  1895.  Its 
activities  as  at  present  organized  are  as  follows : 

Court  Shields,  No.  29,  F.  of  A.,  was  instituted  May  4,  1887.  Its  officers  at 
present  are  as  follows :  Chief  ranger,  Andrew  Stine ;  financial  secretary,  M.  F. 
McKennerney ;  recording  secretary,  William  Vance ;  treasurer,  Patrick  Barry. 

Court  Waterbury,  No.  3,  F.  of  A.:  Chief  ranger,  Roger  Lynch;  recording 
secretary,  Henry  H.  Hayden;  financial  secretary,  John  Z.  Dowling;  treasurer, 
James  J.  Connelly. 

Court  Falcon,  No.  44,  F.  of  A.,  instituted  July  12,  1889.  Its  officers  at  present 
are:  Chief  ranger,  Thomas  O'Leary,  Jr.;  recording  secretary,  Edward  Herbert; 
financial  secretary,  James  P.  Herbert ;  treasurer,  Patrick  G.  Egan. 

Court  Linden,  No.  75,  F.  of  A.,  was  instituted  August  1,  1892.  Its  officers 
at  present  are:  Chief  ranger,  John  Finnerty;  financial  secretary,  Joseph  S.  W^ors- 
ley;  recording  secretary,  John  B.  Marcoux;  treasurer,  Thomas  M.  McGrath. 

Court  Welch,  No.  84,  F.  of  A.,  has  the  following  officers:  Chief  ranger,  Joseph 
McArdle;  financial  secretary,  George  H.  Heckelman ;  recording  secretary,  Joseph 
A.  Brenneis ;  treasurer,  Elmer  J.  Chatfield.  This  is  the  Waterville  branch  of  the 
lodge. 


260  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Court  Martin  Hellman,  No.  86,  F.  of  A.,  was  instituted  November  7,  1894. 
The  officers  at  present  are :  Chief  ranger,  William  J.  Caldwell ;  financial  secretary, 
James  Cosgrove ;  recording  secretary,  Patrick  Kendrick ;  treasurer,  Paul  Asheim. 

Court  America,  No.  98,  F.  of  A. :  Chief  ranger,  John  Vose ;  financial  secretary, 
Benjamin  W.  Johnson;  recording  secretary,  George  H.  Clark;  treasurer,  June  D. 
Cashman. 

Court  Oregon,  No.  138,  F.  of  A.:  Chief  ranger,  Edward  Foley;  recording  sec- 
retary, Thomas  Byrnes ;  financial  secretary,  William  F.  Guilf oile ;  treasurer,  James 
McKnight. 

Court  Richard  Wagner,  No.  139,  F.  of  A.,  has  the  following  officers:  Chief 
ranger,  R.  G.  Amberg ;  financial  secretary,  Louis  H.  Pellinitz ;  recording  secretary, 
H.  E.  Wilhaus ;  treasurer,  John  J.  Sief  en. 

Court  Champlain,  No.  146,  F.  of  A.,  has  the  following  officers :  Chief  ranger, 
Henri  Vigeant ;  financial  secretary,  Charles  Charpentier ;  recording  secretary, 
Emile  A.  Schneider ;  treasurer,  Ralph  L.  Brandely. 

Court  D.  B.  Hamilton,  No.  147,  F.  of  A.:  Chief  ranger,  H.  Miller;  financial 
secretary,  B.  F.  Hoggett;  recording  secretary,  M.  Cossett;  treasurer,  Stanley  B. 
Heaton. 

Court  Guiseppe  Verdi,  No.  151,  F.  of  A.,  has  the  following  officers:  Chief 
ranger,  Santolo  D'Andrea ;  financial  secretary,  Nicola  Garzia ;  recording  secre- 
tary, Angelo  G.  Stanco ;  treasurer,  M.  Pesee. 

Nordsjernum  Lodge,  No.  165,  S.  F.  of  A.,  has  the  following  officers:  Presi- 
dent, David  Dahlstrom ;  secretary,  Arvid  Morten ;  financial  secretary,  Oscar  Rich- 
ardson ;  cashier,  Edward  Strom. 

Pine  Rock  Circle,  No.  29,  Lady  Foresters  of  America :  Chief  commander, 
Mrs.  Mary  Dechon ;  sub.  chief  commander,  Sophia  Carroll;  recording  secretary, 
Helen  Cross;  financial  secretary,  Catherine  McNeish;  treasurer,  Mary  C.  Goe- 
merly. 

INDEPENDENT    ORDER    OF    FORESTERS 

The  Independent  Order  of  Foresters  was  a  further  separation,  and  was  or- 
ganized solely  for  insurance  purposes.  Court  Waterbury,  No,  3578,  was  estab- 
lished June  1,  1897.  Its  officers  are:  Chief  ranger,  William  La  Force;  financial 
secretary,  Thomas  A.  Maton;  recording  secretary,  George  A.  Hines;  treasurer, 
Adam  Wilkie. 

Court  Eugenie,  No.  794,  I.  O.  F. :  Chief  ranger,  Flora  Gagne;  recording  sec- 
retary, Mrs.  Eugenie  Duguay;  financial  secretary,  Pomela  La  France. 

There  is  also  now  a  Catholic  Order  of  Foresters. 

LOYAL   ORDER   OF   MOOSE 

The  Loyal  Order  of  Moose,  Waterbury  Lodge,  No.  703,  was  organized 
August  1,  191 1,  as  the  local  lodge  of  the  national  fraternal  organization  of  that 
name.  Its  membership  today  in  Waterbury  is  1,500.  The  order  pays  a  sick 
benefit  of  $7  a  week  and  a  death  benefit  of  $100.     It  also  cares  for  dependent 

orphans. 

Its  present  officers  are:  Dictator,  Frank  H.  Bailey;  vice  dictator,  Peter  J. 
Shea;  past  dictator,  Thomas  W.  Parrie ;  treasurer,  John  H.  Butler;  secretary, 
Cornelius  Horgan;  prelate,  Albert  Whitaker;  trustees,  M.  A.  Gray,  Thomas  H. 
King,  Thomas  E.  Bywater. 

Its  first  officers  in  Waterbury  were:    Dictator,  Matthew  J.  Smith;  past  die- 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  261 

tator,  Robert  Palmer;  vice  dictator,  Herbert  E.  Hughes;  prelate,  Arthur  Young: 
treasurer,  Howard  L.  Rogers;  secretary,  Chris.  J'.  Harmon. 

Meetings  were  held  for  eighteen  months  in  the  hall  at  No.  n  North  Main 
Street.  After  that  time,  club  rooms  were  leased  and  elegantly  furnished.  Four 
years  ago,  the  lodge  moved  to  95  Bank  Street,  and  the  club  rooms  were  greatly 
enlarged.    They  are  now  kept  open  daily  for  the  entertainment  of  its  members. 

ORDER    OF    HEPTASOPHS 

Until  August  1,  1917,  there  were  three  conclaves  of  the  Improved  Order  of 
Heptasophs,  a  fraternal  insurance  organization.  These  were  Waterbury  Conclave, 
No.  326;  Silas  Bronson  Conclave,  No.  651,  and  Jacques  Cartier  Conclave,  No. 
810.  The  membership  of  these  was  about  three  hundred,  although  since  its  insti- 
tution in  Waterbury  in  1888  it  had  at  one  time  attained  to  a  membership  of  over 
six  hundred. 

On  August  1  st  all  these  groups  which  desired  to  continue  the  insurance  were 
taken  over  by  the  Federal  Aid  Union  of  Lawrence,  Kan.,  which  assumed  all  of 
the  liabilities  of  the  old  order  of  Heptasophs. 

FRATERNAL  ORDER  OF  EAGLES 

The  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles,  Waterbury  Aerie,  No.  379,  the  local  branch 
of  a  national  organization,  which  is  largely  social,  was  established  April  28,  1903. 
It  now  has  a  membership  of  1,275.  In  March,  1916,  the  local  aerie  purchased  the 
Waterbury  Club  Building  on  North  Main  Street. 

The  Eagles  have  had  a  prosperous  career  in  Waterbury.  At  its  recent  bazaar, 
which  was  given  in  Buckingham  Hall  for  the  purpose  of  securing  a  building  and 
furnishing  fund,  the  sum  of  $4,700  was  raised,  a  good  start  for  its  purpose.  It  is 
believed  that  it  will  in  the  spring  of  1918  have  enough  money  in  its  building  fund 
to  begin  the  erection  of  its  new  dance  hall  in  the  rear  of  the  present  beautiful 
club  house. 

At  its  election  held  in  December,  it  elected  the  following  officers :  President, 
John  H.  Crery;  vice  president,  Edward  Foley;  secretary,  Dennis  R.  Mitchell; 
treasurer,  Charles  Lynch ;  chaplain,  Martin  Hayden ;  recording  secretary,  Patrick 
Hogan;  trustees,  Thomas  D.  Temple,  Ed.  J.  Walsh,  Edward  Mraz. 

Its  first  meeting  place  was  at  288  South  Main  Street,  and  its  officers  in  1906, 
the  year  of  its  organization  here,  were  :  President,  J.  C.  Haren  ;  secretary,  Dennis 
R.  Mitchell;  treasurer,  P.  J.  Courtney. 

In  1908  it  moved  to  Knights  of  Columbus  Hall  and  in  1910  to  Eagle's  Hall 
at  151  Bank  Street.  There  it  fitted  up  beautiful  club  rooms,  and  remained  until 
it  purchased  the  property  of  the  Waterbury  Club. 

IMPROVED   ORDER   OF    RED    MIA 

The  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men  haw  two  tribes  in  Waterbury,  with  a 
Woman's  Auxiliary.  It  is  a  social,  secret,  fraternal  and  benevolent  association, 
and  its  first  Connecticut  Great  Council  was  organized  in  August,  1887.  On 
December  15,  1889,  Waterbury's  first  tribe  came  into  existence.  Its  officers  at 
present  are : 

Tunxis  Tribe,  No.  10,  C.  of  R..  E.  M.  Clarck;  C.  of  W..  W.  F.  Engert ;  K. 
of  W.,  Edward  M.  Dwyer. 

Toantick  Tribe.  No.   22,  was  instituted  October   19,   1892.     Its  officers  are: 


262  WATERBURY  AXD  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Sachem,  George  Pond;  C.  of  R.,  William  S.  Bolton;  C.  of  W.,  Frank  A.  Wells; 
K.  of  W.,  H.  L.  Bassett. 

Momamton  Council,  No.  5,  D.  of  P.  is  the  ladies'  branch  of  the  organiza- 
tion, and  has  the  following  officers :  Pocahontas,  Mrs.  Katherine  Turrell;  K.  of 
R.,  Mrs.  Louis  Brown;  K.  of  W.,  Mrs.  Clara  Leonard. 

ORDER    OF    UNITED   AMERICAN    MECHANICS 

The  Order  of  United  American  Mechanics  was  organized  in  Philadelphia,  as 
a  patriotic  organization.  It  later  extended  its  activities  and  became  a  beneficiary 
as  well  as  a  social  and  patriotic  society.  Franklin  Council,  Progressive  Council, 
Martha  Washington  Council,  as  well  as  the  Gen.  Joseph  Warren  Commandery, 
have  all  been  merged  into  the  parent  body,  Excelsior  Council,  No.  2,  or  the 
Woman's  Auxiliary,  Lady  Trumbull  Council,  No.  5,  Daughters  of  Liberty. 

Excelsior  Council,  No.  2,  O.  U.  A.  M.,  was  instituted  February  1,  1877. 
The  officers  are :  Councilor,  F.  F.  Partiss ;  recording  secretary,  D.  L.  Russell ; 
financial  secretary,  H.  W.  Edwards ;  treasurer,  C.  S.  Ryder. 

Lady  Trumbull  Council,  No.  5,  Daughters  of  Liberty,  instituted  June  30, 
1882.  Councilor,  Charles  Gibson;  recording  secretary,  Rachel  Chase;  financial 
secretary,  Clara  Wilmarth ;  treasurer,  Abbie  Seeley. 

Fidelity  Council,  No.  47,  Sons  and  Daughters  of  Liberty.  Councilor,  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Richmond;  recording  secretary,  Mrs.  Fannie  Warner;  financial  secre- 
tary, Mrs.  Lettie  J.  Flood;  treasurer,  Mrs.  Frank  Blakeslee. 

Progressive  Council,  United  Order  of  American  Mechanics,  was  in  1895  a 
young  and  flourishing  council  which  had  been  organized  on  February  22,  1893. 
In  1897  its  membership  had  grown  so  small  that  it  surrendered  its  charter,  the 
members  joining  Excelsior  Council  of  the  order. 

Gen.  Joseph  Warren  Commandery,  United  Order  of  American  Mechanics, 
was  organized  in  1892  by  the  members  of  Progressive  and  Excelsior  councils,  as 
the  uniformed  rank  of  the  order.  Its  officers  in  1895  were:  Captain,  E.  J. 
Schuyler;  first  lieutenant,  A.  J.  Scott;  second  lieutenant,  C.  A.  Green. 

These  officials,  together  with  the  members,  decided  in  1896  to  surrender  the 
charter  as  the  membership  was  too  small  for  effective  drill  work. 

'  MODERN    WOODMEN    OF    AMERICA 

The  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  a  national  fraternal  and  insurance  organ- 
ization, with  headquarters  in  Rock  Island,  111.,  organized  Rosedale  Camp,  No. 
9,615,  in  Waterbury  on  May  1,  1902.  It  now  has  174  members.  Its  present 
officers  are:  Counsel,  David  McNamara ;  clerk,  George  S.  Husker;  banker, 
Edward  Keenan. 

WOODMEN    OF   THE    WORLD 

The  Woodmen  of  the  World,  a  national  fraternal  and  insurance  organization, 
has  four  camps  in  Waterbury.  The  first  of  these,  White  Oak  Camp,  No.  3,  was 
established  in  1896  and  Arbutus  Camp,  No.  8,  came  soon  after  this  date.  The 
total  membership  in  Waterbury  in  191 7  is  1,500.  The  officials  of  each  of  the 
camps  are  as  follows : 

White  Oak  Camp.  No.  3,  C.  C,  H.  Cook;  clerk,  W.  E.  Roberts;  banker, 
O.  G.  Rabe. 

Arbutus  Camp,  No.  8,  C.  C,  D.  F.  Cass ;  clerk,  H.  W.  .Edwards ;  banker, 
F.  C.  Meisinger. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY      263 

Pine  Camp,  No.  68,  C.  C,  Dr.  G.  G.  Mangini;  clerk,  Santolo  D'Andrea ; 
banker,  Donato  Margiotto. 

workmen's  circle 

The  national  fraternal  and  insurance  organization  known  as  Workmen's  Circle, 
has  three  branches  in  Waterbury,  Workmen's  Circle,  No.  26,  was  organized  in 
March,  1903,  and  now  has  a  membership  of  155.  Workmen's  Circle,  Branch 
137,  organized  in  1910,  has  a  membership  of  120.  Workmen's  Circle,  Ladies' 
Branch  190,  has  now  a  membership  of  40.  The  order  has  its  own  sanitarium 
at  Liberty,  N.  Y.,  where  it  cares  for  those  of  its  members  who  are  stricken  with 
tuberculosis.     It  pays  sick  and  death  benefits. 

The  officers  are:  Circle  26,  George  Fisher,  secretary;  treasurer,  J.  Green- 
blatt ;  Circle  137,  secretary,  M.  Saltzman;  treasurer,  H.  Feldman;  Circle  190, 
secretary,  Bessie  Cassel;  treasurer,  Mrs.  Max  Levin. 

SONS    OF    ST.    GEORGE 

The  order  of  Sons  of  St.  George  is  a  progressive  fraternal  society  which 
English  residents  in  the  United  States  formed  as  a  social  and  benefit  organiza- 
tion. Hawthorne  Lodge,  No.  213,  was  instituted  in  Waterbury  July  6,  1883. 
Its  membership  is  naturally  limited,  though  at  present  it  is  well  over  the  hundred 
mark.  Its  officers  for  1917  are:  W.  P.,  H.  T.  Matthews;  W.  T.,  G.  R.  Lewis; 
secretarv,  Thomas  Hodkinson. 

SHEPHERDS    OF    BETHLEHEM 

Shepherds  of  Bethlehem,  Radiant  Star,  No.  2,  is  a  woman's  fraternal  and 
benefit  organization.  Its  present  officers  are :  Commander,  Mrs.  Grace  E.  Can- 
dee;  scribe,  Mrs.  Susie  M.  Granger;  accountant,  Mrs. 'Jennie  C.  Ainslee;  treas- 
urer, Mrs.  Helen  M.  Stanley. 

KNIGHTS    OF    THE    GOLDEN    EAGLE 

The  following  are  the  officers  of  Amity  Castle,  No.  11,  Knights  of  the  Golden 
Eagle :  Noble  chief,  William  McNaught ;  master  of  records,  F.  B.  Reynolds ; 
clerk  of  exchequer,  H.  W.  Edwards;  keeper  of  exchequer,  William  Hatton. 

It  has  in  addition  to  its  insurance  feature,  an  adjunct  in  the  Amity  Social 
Club,  which  has  finely  furnished  club  rooms  adjoining  the  lodge  hall  at  136 
Grand  Street.    All  the  members  of  the  Amity  lodge  are  entitled  to  club  privileges. 

NEW    ENGLAND    ORDER    OF    PROTECTION 

The  Waterbury  lodges  of  the  New  England  Order  of  Protection  celebrated 
the  thirtieth  anniversary  of  the  organization  of  the  order  November  15,  1917. 
The  first  lodge  in  Waterbury  was  Archer  Lodge,  No.  4.  established  June  1,  1888, 
the  year  following  the  founding  of  the  order.  Since  its  foundation  it  has  paid 
out  in  the  five  New  England  states,  which  comprise  its  jurisdiction,  $17,000,000 
in  insurance.  It  has  now  placed  its  rates  on  a  new  basis,  insuring  permanency 
to  the  order. 

The  lodges  with  date  of  organization  and  present  officers  are  as  follows: 
Anchor  Lodge,  No.  40,  organized  June   1,   1888.     Warden,  George  S.  Davis; 
secretary.   Frank  L.   Kainz ;   financial   secretary,   Edward  J.   Morgan;  treasurer, 


264  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Annie  E.  Burritt.  The  approximate  membership  in  191 7  is  two  hundred  and 
thirty. 

Mattatuck  Lodge,  No.  187,  organized  March  15,  1892.  Warden,  J.  S.  Neill; 
recording  secretary,  H.  W.  Alden;  financial  secretary,  Ira  Markle;  treasurer, 
George  M.  Condet.    The  approximate  membership  in  191 7  is  two  hundred. 

Alexander  Von  Humboldt  Lodge,  No.  210,  organized  February  23,  1893. 
Warden,  Elizabeth  Huber;  recording  secretary,  Emil  C.  Steinman;  financial 
secretary,  Valentine  Hahn ;  treasurer,  Clara  Armbruster.  The  approximate 
membership  in  191 7  is  two  hundred  and  fifty. 

Brass  City  Lodge,  No.  244,  organized  December  5,  1894.  Warden,  Mrs. 
Mary  E.  Deehon ;  secretary,  Thomas  Eddy ;  financial  secretary,  Edward  Byrne ; 
treasurer,  Patrick  Barry.    The  approximate  membership  in  191 7  is  two  hundred. 

Sheridan  Lodge,  organized  May  31,  1893.  Warden,  Jennie  A.  Turley ;  re- 
cording and  financial  secretary,  Joseph  O'Connell ;  treasurer,  John  H.  Butler. 
The  membership  in  1917  is  approximately  one  hundred  and  seventy-five. 

Waterbury  Lodge,  No.  486.  Warden,  Mrs.  Sarah  Cook;  secretary,  John 
Parry.     The  approximate  membership  in  1917  is  one  hundred. 

ORDER    OF    OWLS 

Order  of  Owls,  Waterbury  Nest,  No.  1,427,  has  the  following  officers:  Presi- 
dent, J.  A.  Reed;  secretary,  W.  F.  Guilfoile;  financial  secretary,  George  M. 
Chapman ;  treasurer,  A.  L.  Hellenstein. 

UNITED    ORDER    OF    PILGRIM    FATHERS 

Mizpah  Colony,  No.  163,  United  Order  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  was  organ- 
ized March  15,  1895,  with  thirty  charter  members.  Its  first  governor  was  Jacob 
B,  Blakeslee. 

Its  present  officers  are:  Governor,  Reinhold  R.  Book;  secretary,  Sarah  A. 
Benham ;  treasurer,  Louis  R.  Silvernail;  collector,  Helen  M.  Stanley. 

KNIGHTS    OF    MACCABEES 

The  Knights  of  the  Maccabees,  a  national  fraternal  and  insurance  organiza- 
tion, has  three  lodges  in  Waterbury.  Valley  Tent,  No.  13,  organized  December 
8,  1896,  has  a  membership  of  sixty,  and  Waterbury  Tent,  No.  36,  has  between 
fifty  and  sixty.  The  Woman's  Benefit  Association  of  the  Maccabees  is  called 
Eagle  Hive,  No.  16. 

The  officers  of  these  organizations  at  present  are : 

Knights  of  the  Maccabees,  Valley  Tent,  No.  13:  Commander,  Charles  F. 
Loomis ;  lieutenant  commander,  Ad9lph  Recker ;  record  keeper,  Colin  F.  Wilson ; 
finance  keeper,  Harris  Hayden. 

Knights  of  the  Maccabees,  Waterbury  Tent,  No.  36:  Commander,  Thomas 
W.  Gill;  lieutenant  commander,  Patrick  J.  Lynch;  record  keeper,  T.  J.  Coyle; 
finance  keeper,  William  J.  O'Brine. 

Woman's  Benefit  Association  of  the  Maccabees,  Eagle  Hive,  No.  16:  L.  C, 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Shearon;  L.  L.  C,  Annie  Courtney;  finance  keeper,  Julia  M. 
Cunningham ;  record  keeper,  Mrs.  Mary  Keef e. 

UNITED    ORDER    OF    THE    GOLDEN    CROSS 

The  United  Order  of  the  Golden  Cross  is  both  an  insurance  and  a  temperance 
organization.     Sterling  Commandery,   No.   300,  was  instituted  in   1886,   and  in 


WATERBUKY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  265 

1895  had  a  membership  of  132.  This  has  been  reduced,  but  the  commandery  is 
still  active  in  its  work  and  thriving.  Its  officers  at  present  are :  N.  C,  George 
Clapp;  K.  of  R.,  Mrs.  Annie  Rowley;  F.  K.  of  R.,  Mrs.  S.  Nellie  Clapp;  treasurer, 
Mrs.  Margaret  Meeker. 

THE   ROYAL    ARCANUM 

The  Royal  Arcanum,  a  national  fraternal  and  insurance  organization,  has  one 
council,  Mattatuck,  No.  713,  in  Waterbury,  established  October  13,  1882.  It 
grew  to  large  proportions  and  held  its  membership  until  a  few  years  ago,  when 
the  first  change  in  rates  was  made  effective.  A  further  change  in  1916  affected 
Mattatuck  Council  as  it  did  the  councils  all  over  the  country,  where  the  average 
loss  of  membership  was  about  20  per  cent.     The  present  officers  are  as  follows : 

Regent,  Charles  A.  Hill;  secretary,  Wallace  Roberts;  collector,  Louis  A. 
Totten ;  treasurer,  George  W.  Watson. 

PATRONS    OF    HUSBANDRY 

The  object  of  this  great  national  order  is  the  education  and  elevation  of  the 
American  farmer,  and  the  social,  moral  and  intellectual  development  of  its 
members. 

Mad  River  Grange,  No.  71,  started  December  1,  1887,  with  fifty  charter 
members.  During  the  height  of  its  success,  Mad  River  Grange  had  as  many  as 
700  names  on  its  list.  In  1895  there  were  200.  Today  the  list  is  small,  but 
composed  of  the  best  farmers  in  this  section.  It  meets  weekly  in  Grange  Hall, 
Mill  Plain,  during  all  but  the  three  summer  months.  Its  officers  at  present  are : 
Master,  Merton  E.  Reid :  overseer,  Oscar  B.  Todd ;  lecturer,  Charles  A.  Graham ; 
secretary,  Bessie  D.  Parks. 

ORDER    OF    THE    SILVER    STAR 


Martha  Washington  Council,  Order  of  the  Silver  Star,  was  a  social  and  sick 
benefit  organization  which  flourished  in  1895  and  in  1902  had  finely  furnished 
club  rooms  in  Johnson's  Hall.  The  fire  of  that  year  destroyed  all  its  possessions 
and  for  a  time  it  met  in  the  homes  of  its  members.  Its  councillor  at  this  time 
was  Frank  L.  Snagg  and  he  and  his  associates  decided  in  1903  to  discontinue  the 
meetings.  It  has  never  been  officially  dissolved  and  still  has  a  small  fund  in 
the  bank. 

FRENCH    SOCIETIES 

Club  Sadi  Carnot  was  organized  August  21,  1904.  Its  officers  for  the  present 
year  are  as  follows:  President,  L.  Grasselor;  secretary,  Pierre  Besancon ;  record- 
ing secretary,  J.  V.  Fesselet ;  treasurer,  Frank  Graber.  This  is  an  organization 
composed  of  European  French  and  is  solely  for  educational  and  social  purposes. 

Council  St.  Jean  Baptiste  d'Arnerique,  No.  304,  was  organized  June  1,  1877. 
Its  present  officers  are:  President,  Roderick  Adams;  recording  secretary,  Joseph 
Lecomte;  financial  secretary,  Charles  R.  Charpentier;  treasurer,  Edmond  Thibault. 

L'Union  Fraternelle  Francaise  has  for  officers:  President,  E.  Pouard :  finan- 
cial secretary,  C.  Didam ;  recording  secretary,  J.  A'.  Fesselet;  treasurer,  C.  Gueble. 

L'Union  St.  Jean  Baptiste  d'Arnerique,  Council  Laval.  No.  189,  has  the  fol- 
lowing officers:  President.  Roderick  Adams:  recording  secretary,  Philias  Le- 
comte ;  treasurer,  Edmond  Thibault. 


266  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUGK  VALLEY 

ITALIAN    SOCIETIES 

Below  is  a  list  of  the  Italian  societies  organized  in  Waterbury,  with  their 
officers : 

O.  F.  D.  I.  Order,  Sons  of  Columbus,  No.  273.  President,  Charles  Sciullo ; 
secretary,  Joseph  Caporaso ;  treasurer,  Joseph  Sciullo. 

O.  F.  D.  I.  Vittorio  Emanuele,  No.  351.  President,  Luigi  Lerz;  secretary, 
Vincenzo  Guarini ;  treasurer,  Giovanni  Laudati. 

O.  F.  D.  I.  Queen  Elena  Lodge,  No.  222.  President,  Mrs.  Lucian  Pinto ; 
recording  secretary,  Mrs.  Maria  A.  Carissimi ;  financial  secretary,  Mary  G. 
Sciullo ;  treasurer,  Angelina  Jamele. 

Order  Sons  of  Italy,  Loggia  Dante  Alighieri,  No.  66.  Venerabile,  G.  Salva- 
tore ;  recording  secretary,  L.  Carissimi. 

Order  Sons  of  Italy,  Loggia  Lucitoe,  Prov.  No.  no.  Venerabile,  Nicola  M. 
Ventresca ;  financial  secretary,  Nicola  R.  Ventresca ;  treasurer,  Francesco  Ca- 
rissimi. 

Society  Operia  Aviglianese  of  Soccorso.  President,  Canio  Rosa ;  secretary, 
L.  Lovallo ;  treasurer,  F.  Verrastro. 

SWEDISH    SOCIETIES 

Odin  Benefit  Association.  President,  Gustaf  R.  Lofblad;  secretary,  Carl 
Nelson;  cashier,  Edward  Strom. 

Order  of  Vasa,  Gota  Lejon  Lodge,  No.  19,  was  organized  January  20,  1900. 
The  following  are  the  present  officers:  President,  Gustaf  Johnson;  secretary, 
Franz  Johnson;  cashier,  Eric  Larson. 

GERMAN    SOCIETIES 

Below  is  a  list  of  the  German  societies  of  Waterbury : 

Concordia  Singing  Society.  President,  John  E.  Weiss ;  corresponding  secre- 
tary, John  Kern ;  recording  secretary,  William  Bierbaum ;  financial  secretary 
Albert  Lampe,  Sr. ;  treasurer,  Wolfgang  Schaeffer. 

The  Concordia  is  justly  termed  the  leading  German  singing  society  in  the 
state.  Twenty-two  years  ago  it  elected  Hans  Saro  as  its  musical  director,  and 
it  is  due  to  his  masterful  training  that  five  first  prizes  were  won  by  the  society  at 
eight  of  the  state  saengerfests.  It  began  its  triumphant  career  at  Bridgeport  in 
1898  with  a  first  prize,  following  it  with  similar  successes  at  Union  City  in  1900 
and  at  Seymour  in  1902.  It  won  first  prize  at  the  State  Saengerfest  in  Hartford 
in  1910  and  again  at  New  Haven  in  191 2.  The  society  numbers  fifty  active 
members,  but  in  all  competitions  it  is  recruited  to  ninety. 

During  the  war  period  there  have  been  no  saengerfests,  but  these  will  be 
resumed  as  soon  as  conditions  are  again  favorable.  In  the  meantime  the  society 
continues  its  local  concerts. 

D.  O.  H.  Gleichheit  Manner  Lodge,  No.  71,  was  organized  October  1,  1887.  Its 
officers  for  the  present  year  are :  O.  B.,  George  Groetzenbach  ;  secretary,  Franz 
J.  Keller;  cashier,  Henry  Kluttig;  treasurer,  Charles  Kopp. 

D.  O.  H.  Steuben  Lodge,  No.  391,  was  oganized  February  29,  1876.  Its 
officers  at  present  are:  O.  B.,  Nicholas  Massonnet;  secretary,  George  Groetzen- 
bach; financial  secretary,  Henry  Kluttig;  treasurer,  Karl  Kopp. 

D.  O.  H.  True  Sisters  Lodge,  No.  28,  at  present  has  the  following  officers : 
O.  B.,  Mrs.  Lena  Hennegger;  secretary,  Mrs.  Anna  Thomas;  financial  secretary, 
Mrs.  Charles  Yoos ;  treasurer,  Mrs.  Eliza  Schmidt. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  267 

Dramatic  Association  of  Lyra  Singing  Society  has  the  following  officers: 
President,  Lonis  Jositz ;  secretary,  August  Beutter. 

Harmonia  Benevolent  Association  was  instituted  in  1861.  The  present  offi- 
cers are:  President,  Christian  Schlag;  secretary,  Ferdinand  Schroeder;  financial 
secretary,  Joseph  Sevetag;  treasurer,  John  Kirschbaum. 

1.  O.  B.  B.,  Melchizedek  Lodge,  Xo.  200,  has  the  following  officers:  Presi- 
dent, Herman  J.  Weisman;  secretary,  Louis  L.  Simons;  treasurer,  Samuel  A. 
Chase. 

The  Lyra  Singing  Society  has  the  following  officers:  President,  Louis  Jositz; 
financial  secretary,  Alfred  Waldheim. 

O.  D.  H.  S.  Freundschafts  Lodge,  Xo.  8,  was  organized  March  29,  1887.  The 
present  officers  are:  President,  Edward  Koslosky;  secretary,  Edward  Cramer; 
financial  secretary,  Julius  Xatush ;  treasurer,  Fritz  Cramer. 

The  following  are  the  officers  of  the  Turnverein  Vorwaerts:    President,  Fred 
erick  Cramer ;  secretary,  Emil  Hummel ;  treasurer,  Albert  Hummel. 

The  Unity  Association  has  the  following  officers :  President,  Herman  J. 
Weisman  ;  secretary.  Louis  L.  Simons  ;  treasurer.  Samuel  A.  Chase. 

U.  O.  R.  M.,  Uhland  Stamm,  Xo.  190,  was  organized  January  28,  1874.  The 
present  officers  are :  President,  Louis  Grohs ;  secretary.  Christian  Wiemer ; 
cashier,  Jacob  Baer;  treasurer,  Richard  Selback. 

The  Waterbury  Turnverein  has  the  following  officers :  President,  F. 
Schwaller ;  corresponding  secretary,  Karl  Wilke ;  treasurer,  J.  Sasloff . 

The  Workmen's  Sick  and  Death  Benefit  Fund,  Branch  Xo.  42,  was  organized 
in  1 89 1.  The  following  are  the  present  officers:  President.  G.  Waldheim;  re- 
cording secretary,  Emil  Bierbaum;  financial  secretary.  Charles  Blattman;  treas- 
urer. Frank  J.  Gatter. 

THE  LABOR  ORGANIZATIONS 

WATERBURY  BUILDING  TRADES  COUNCIL 

In  1900  a  Building  Trades  Council  was  formed  by  the  painters,  the  carpenters, 
and  the  plumbers,  which  affiliated  with  the  National  Building  Trades  Council  in 
1902.  The  latter  endured  for  three  years.  In  1905  the  council  applied  for  a 
charter  from  the  Structural  Building  Trades  Alliance  and  remained  with  the  body 
during  its  existence,  after  which  it  became  affiliated  with  the  present  building 
trades  department  of  the  American  Federation  of  Labor.  Under  this  parent  body 
the  Waterbury  Building  Trades  Council  has  really  increased  in  membership. 
The  eight  locals  now  affiliated  with  the  council  are  as  follows:  Carpenters  and 
Joiners,  Xo.  260;  Electrical  Workers,  Xo.  660:  Sheet  Metal  Workers,  Xo.  199; 
Painters  and  Decorators,  Xo.  491;  Plumbers,  Steam  and  Gas  Fitters,  Xo.  22; 
Naugatuck  Carpenters  and  Joiners,  Xo.  804;  Xaugatuck  Painters  and  Decorators. 
No.  418;  Xaugatuck  Plumbers,  Steam  and  Gas  Fitters,  Xo.  169. 

The  council  maintains  commodious,  well-arranged  quarters  at  127  East  Main 
Street,  consisting  of  two  meeting  halls,  reading  room,  and  business  agent's  office. 

The  relations  between  the  building  contractors  and  the  building  trades  organ- 
izations are  most  cordial.  There  is  a  business-like  spirit  of  co-operation  existing 
between  the  organizations  that  brings  forth  the  best  result  for  all  concerned, 
those  having  buildings  erected  coming  in  for  their  share  of  the  good  results  of 
this  harmony. 

The  present  officers  are:  President.  James  Campbell  (Painters)  ;  vice  presi- 
dent. R.  Beardsley   (Electrical  Workers);  recording  secretary,  II.  T.  Strickland 


268  WATERBURY  AND"  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

(Electrical  Workers)  ;  financial  secretary,  James  Johnson  (Painters)  ;  treasurer, 
William  Byron  (Carpenters)  ;  James  P.  Donahue,  business  agent.  Meetings  are 
held  on  the  first  and  third  Wednesdays. 

THE    CENTRAL    LABOR    UNION 

The  Waterbury  Central  Labor  Union  was  first  organized  in  1893,  then  lapsed 
and  was  again  instituted  June  18,  1902.  Twenty  local  unions  were  affiliated,  the 
great  majority  of  which  are  still  in  existence  and  still  members  of  the  central 
body.     In  191 7  the  unions  affiliated  number  twenty-eight. 

Meetings  are  held  on  the  first  and  third  Fridays  in  Building  Trades  Council 
Hall,  127  East  Main  Street. 

The  present  officers  are  :  President,  James  E.  Corrigan ;  vice  president,  Joseph 
C.  Baker ;  recording  secretary,  Rensselaer  Beadle ;  financial  secretary,  Charles 
Westendorfl ;  treasurer,  James  A.  Cleland ;  sergeant-at-arms,  William  Hermann ; 
business  agent,  James  P.  Donahue ;  trustees,  Thomas  Quinn,  William  McLean, 
Charles  Mulholland. 

WATERBURY   LOCAL   UNIONS 

Allied  Printing  Trades  Council.  Joseph  Cote,  president ;  P.  J.  Lynch,  secre- 
tary. 

Bakers,  No.  155,  organized  February  1,  1901.  President,  Daniel  Finske; 
vice  president,  Daniel  Sullivan ;  recording  secretary,  Paul  Lauer ;  financial  secre- 
tary, Herbert  Waldron ;  treasurer,  Charles  Witzman ;  sergeant-at-arms,  Joseph 
Mussary;  label  section,  Otto  T.  Dreher;  business  agent,  State  Organizer  Striby; 
trustees,  Paul  GrafT,  Paul  Lauer;  C.  L.  U.  delegate,  Otto  T.  Dreher. 

Barbers,  No.  732.  President,  Louis  D.  Schiavone ;  vice  president,  P.  Madda- 
line ;  recording  secretary,  Angelo  Possemato ;  financial  secretary,  Patrick  J. 
Cavanagh ;  treasurer,  Patrick  Mancini ;  sergeant-at-arms,  Nick  Solcids ;  trustees, 
Joseph  Fiore,  Ernest  Petrone,  and  Peter  D.  Cicco. 

Brewery  Workmen,  No.  126.  President,  William  Barton;  vice  president,  Gus 
Schmidt ;  recording  secretary,  Aug.  Beutter ;  financial  secretary,  John  Mantel ; 
treasurer,  Jos.  Schmid ;  sergeant-at-arms,  Jack  Kelly ;  business  agent,  Aug. 
Beutter;  trustees,  Alfred  Waldheim,  Alfred  Seidel,  Josef  Stiegler. 

Bricklayers,  Masons  and  Plasterers,  organized  March  1,  1894.  President, 
L.  E.  Stephens ;  secretary,  Louis  Corr ;  business  agent,  Wm.  McCarthy. 

Carpenters  and  Joiners,  No.  260.  Chris  Christof eson,  president ;  Thomas  C. 
Quinn,  secretary;  N.  J.  Engelke,  financial  secretary;  Walter  R.  Talbot,  treasurer; 
James  P.  Donahue,  business  agent. 

Cigarmakers.  President,  John  E.  Cunningham ;  vice  president,  M.  Cross- 
land  ;  recording  secretary,  H.  Bushman  ;  financial  secretary,  Val  C.  Hahn  ;  treas- 
urer, W.  Crossland;  sergeant-at-arms,  Wm.  J.  Pierce;  business^  agent,  H.  F. 
Varanelli ;  trustees.  Otto  Brodt,  Frank  Smith  and  Edward  Sanders. 

Electrical  Workers,  No.  660.  President,  John  E.  Cunningham;  vice  presi- 
dent, M.  Crossland;  recording  secretary,  H.  Bushman;  financial  secretary,  Val 
C.  Hahn;  treasurer,  W.  Crossland;  sergeant-at-arms,  Wm.  J.  Pierce;  business 
agent,  H.  F.  Varanelli ;  trustees,  Otto  Brodt,  Frank  Smith  and  Edward  Sanders. 

Granite  Cutters.     Ralph  Stuart,  secretary. 

Horseshoers.     Charles  E.  Mann,  secretary. 

Locomotive  Engineers.    Brass  City  Division,  No.  867.    B.  F.  O'Neill,  secretary. 

Machinists,  Brass  City  Lodge,  No.  322.  Financial  secretary,  Charles  Westen- 
dorft;  treasurer,  John  B.  Cutty. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  269 

Molders,  No.  298.     Thomas  R.  Allen,  secretary;  James  A.  Loveday,  business 


agent. 


Moving-  Picture  .Machine  Operators,  No.  304.  President,  James  Corrigan; 
vice  president,  Nick  Melleti;  recording  secretary,  Tim  Garren;  financial  secre- 
tary-treasurer, William  Jenusaitis;  business  agent,  Abe  bandella;  trustees,  Ralph 
Stanco,  Steve  Sangovimio,  John  Kuster. 

Musicians.  President,  Kay  E.  Reilley;  vice  president,  C.  E.  Loveridge;  re- 
cording and  financial  secretary,  E.  Sherwood  Beardslee;  treasurer,  William  Mc- 
Lean; sergeant-at-arms,  Arthur  Martel;  business  agent,  Ray  E.  Reilley. 

Painters,  No.  491.  President,  R.  Beadle;  vice  president,  Win.  Cook;  record- 
ing secretary,  Michael  F.  Cody;  financial  secretary,  James  Campbell;  treasurer, 
William  Woods;  sergeant-at-arms,  Irving  Cowdry ;  business  agent,  James  P. 
Donahue ;  trustees,  A.  C.  Pratt,  Phillip  Roy,  James  Johnston. 

Pattern  Makers.    Robert  McDougal,  secretary. 

Plumbers  and  Steam  Fitters,  organized  1894.  Present  officers :  President, 
William  Coyle ;  vice  president,  James  Whitty ;  recording  secretary,  Daniel  M. 
Cass ;  financial  secretary-treasurer,  William  R.  Finn ;  business  agent,  James 
Donahue. 

Pressmen  and  Assistants,  No.  150.  President,  Louis  Schmidt;  vice  president, 
Lew  Baker;  financial  secretary,  Frank  Gregory;  sergeant-at-arms,  Joseph  M. 
Cipriano. 

Railroad  Trainmen,  No.  423.     G.  H.  Turkington,  secretary. 

Sheet  Metal  Workers,  No.  199.  President,  L.  C.  Schiltz;  vice  president, 
Otto  Herbst ;  secretary,  Charles  E.  Decker ;  financial  secretary,  A.  E.  Gerard. 

Stone-cutters.     Patrick  Quinlan,  secretary. 

Street  Railway  Employees,  Division  570.  President,  Lawson  A.  Luth ;  vice 
president,  David  J.  Scully;  recording  secretary,  George  B.  Degnan;  financial 
secretary,  Thomas  Brube ;  business  agent,  A.  H.  Luth. 

Theatrical  Stage  Employees,  No.  88;  organized  in  1901.  President:  John 
J.  Fitzgerald ;  vice  president,  Frank  Brown ;  recording  secretary,  Thomas  Corri- 
gan ;  financial  secretary,  Frank  J.  Stone;  treasurer,  James  Cleaveland. 

Typographical,  No.  329,  organized  November  20,  1898.  President,  Fred  S. 
Gorham;  vice  president,  Hubert  B.  Royce;  recording  secretary,  Leroy  E.  Bowles; 
secretary-treasurer,  Patrick  J.  Lynch. 

Foremen's  Association  of  the  Plume  &  Atwood  Mfg.  Co.,  organized  March 
13,  191 1.  President,  Edward  C.  Sanderson;  secretary,  Thomas  Mathon ;  treas- 
urer, P.  H.  Chabot. 

Manhan  Aid  Association  of  American  Brass  Co.,  Waterbury  Brass  Branch. 
President,  Frederick  B.  Williams;  secretary,  Edward  B.  Simpson;  treasurer, 
C.  E.  Beardsley. 

Scovill  Foremen's  Association.  President,  Frank  W.  Ineson ;  secretary,  Clar- 
ence H.  Stilson. 


CHAPTER  XXII 
COMMUNITY   EFFORTS,    PHILANTHROPY   AND   REFORMS 

THE  Y.    M.   C.  A.  AND  ITS   GROWTH FUND  FOR   NEW   BUILDING WAR-TIME   WORK 

THE  WATERBURY  BOYS'  CLUB — -MR.  COMBELLACK's  GREAT  WORK THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

OF    AMERICA THE    WATERBURY    INDUSTRIAL    SCHOOL    AND    GIRLS'     CLUB THE 

TEMPERANCE   MOVEMENT    IN   WATERBURY RESCUE   MISSION THE   COMMUNITY 

CHRISTMAS    TREE THE    EARLY    CLOSING    MOVEMENT ELISHA    LEAVEN  WORTH'S 

BENEFACTIONS. 

The  Waterbury  Y.  M.  C.  A.  is  the  oldest  association  in  Connecticut  and  the 
fourth  oldest  in  all  New  England.  The  first  in  the  United  States  dates  back  to 
December,  1851,  and  was  started  in  Boston,  Mass.,  by  Thomas  Sullivan  as  repre- 
sentative of  twenty  religious  associations. 

The  original  constitution  of  the  Waterbury  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  with  the  signature  of 
the  charter  members  and  the  original  business  records,  have  been  preserved  to 
the  present  day.  This  association  was  active  from  1858  until  1876  and  was 
never  formally  dissolved.  A  more  formal  organization  was  effected  in  1883.  The 
life  of  the  association  is  divided  into  two  periods:  the  first  of  twenty-five  years, 
ending  in  1883,  during  which  the  service  of  all  officers  and  workers  was  purely 
volunteer  work.  During  that  period  the  association  had  rooms  at  the  corner  of 
West  Main  and  Leavenworth  streets.  The  original  start  was  made  in  a  room 
over  what  was  known  as  Cone's  drug  store  at  the  corner  of  Bank  and  West  Main 
streets. 

The  second  period  started  with  the  engagement  of  trained  Y.  M.  C.  A.  workers, 
due  to  the  realization  of  what  an  immense  power  for  good  in  the  community 
the  association  would  be  and  the  full  knowledge  of  how  great  a  work  it  had 
taken  up  by  the  words  of  its  charter,  "To  promote  the  physical,  mental  and  moral 
welfare  of  young  men." 

Then  in  1889,  after  the  state  convention  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  held  in  Waterbury, 
came  the  building  project  at  a  meeting  in  the  parlors  of  the  old  Scovill  House. 
This  was  followed  by  a  later  meeting  and  the  appointment  of  a  committee  on 
buildings  and  soliciting. 

The  building  committee,  selected  from  the  board  of  directors,  which  made  its 
first  report  on  May  18,  1891,  was  as  follows:  L.  J.  Atwood,  H.  L.  Wade,  J.  R. 
Smith,  F.  S.  Chase,  F.  B.  Rice,  E.  O.  Goss,  W.  E.  Fulton,  I.  A.  Spencer,  W.  E. 
Griggs,  C.  F.  Mitchell,  G.  W.  Beach,  J.  N.  Webb,  H.  W.  Scovill,  F.  B.  Hoadley, 
C.  S.  Chapman,  A.  C.  Mintie,  E.  D.  Welton  and  A.  D.  Noble. 

The  project  was  then  sent  along  under  full  sail  by  the  gift  of  a  lot  on  North 
Main  Street,  part  of  which  is  now  occupied  by  a  portion  of  the  Hotel  Elton.  The 
gift  was  made  by  Henry  W.  Scovill  and  his  wife.  This  lot  was  later  sold  and 
the  present  site  purchased.     It  was  then  the  Philo  Brown  property. 

The  soliciting  committee  completed  its  work  in  December,  1890 ;  the  revised 
plans  for  the  building  were  accepted  March  22,  1892;  the  contract  was  awarded 
April  21,  1892,  and  the  association  moved  into  the  completed  building  June  1,  1893. 

270 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  271 

Since  that  time  there  have  been  additions  to  the  structure  from  time  to  time 
as  they  were  needed,  and  the  money  was  obtainable.  As  designed  by  its  far- 
sighted  founders,  it  did  priceless  work  in  promoting  physical,  mental,  and 
moral  welfare  of  the  young  men  of  Waterbury,  and  it  may  be  said  that  the  city 
is  the  better  for  the  association  and  that  the  initial  investment  in  dollars  had 
been  realized  hundreds  of  times  over  in  a  better  humanity. 

The  rosters  of  names  connected  with  the  various  steps  in  the  growth  of  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  is  interesting,  as  many  of  the  names  are  to  be  found  woven  through 
the  history  of  the  rise  of  Waterbury.  In  the  list  of  the  charter  members  of  1858 
are  to  be  found  the  following:  Anson  F.  Abbott,  L.  S.  Davis,  Dwight  L.  Smith, 
F.  L.  Curtis,  George  W.  Beach,  E.  L.  Beach,  E.  L.  Bronson,  Charles  Benedict, 
D.  1".  Maltby,  A.  M.  Blakcsley,  and  H.  W.  Keeler.  Governor  William  A.  Buck- 
ingham was  an  honorary  member. 

Among  the  signers  of  the  document  pledging  the  funds  which  changed  the 
association  from  volunteer  ranks  in  1883  were  the  following:  F.  J.  Kingsbury, 
J.  'S.  Elton.  .Airs.  M.  L.  Mitchell,  J.  M.  Burrall,  L.  J.  Atwood,  H.  W.  Scovill, 
I.  A.  Spencer,  J.  R.  Smith,  Rev.  J.  G.  Davenport,  G.  E.  Terry,  A.  A.  Benedict, 
H.  L.  Wade,  G.  C.  Hill,  C.  S.  Rodman,  and  B.  G.  Bryan. 

The  names  of  the  incorporators  of  the  association  in  1889  were:  Imri  A. 
Spencer,  Edward  L.  Bronson,  George  H.  Benedict,  Walter  C.  Meyers,  G.  H. 
Benham,  James  S.  Elton,  John  Henderson,  Jr.,  Charles  S.  Chapman,  F.  S.  Chase, 
A.  D.  Noble,  F.  E.  Stanley,  Nelson  W.  Heater,  and  William  E.  Norris. 

The  war  work  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  has  been  a  notable  feature  of  its  activities. 
It  began  this  work  in  1916,  when  the  members  of  the  local  companies  were  called 
to  the  armory  preparatory  to  leaving  for  the  border.  All  the  privileges  of  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  were  extended  to  the  men  and  remained  so  until  their  departure  and 
after  their  return. 

When  the  United  States  declared  war,  and  a  part  of  the  National  Guard 
was  stationed  in  Wraterbury,  Y.  M.  C.  A.  privileges  were  again  extended  to  the 
men  occupying  the  armory.  These  included  the  baths,  the  use  of  the  gymnasium, 
and  all  social  privileges. 

Later,  when  a  battalion  camp  of  the  First  Regiment,  C.  N.  G.,  was  estab- 
lished at  Fairlawn  Manor,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  immediately  pitched  a  tent  there 
under  the  direction  of  W.  A.  Smethurst,  the  physical  director.  Mr.  'Smethurst 
and  several  assistants  took  charge  of  the  outgoing  mail ;  supplied  tables  and  writing 
equipment,  as  well  as  reading  matter,  consisting  of  the  latest  magazines  and 
newspapers.  A  piano  and  Victor  talking  machine  were  provided  as  a  means  of 
amusement.  Baseball  suits  and  balls  and  bats  were  given  to  all  men  who  joined 
the  teams  organized  into  an  inter-company  league. 

During  this  time  special  meetings  were  held  every  Sunday  afternoon,  at  which 
special  music  and  other  features  did  much  to  attract  the  soldiers. 

Since  the  departure  of  the  National  Guard,  the  Home  Guard  has  used  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  gymnasium  for  drilling  purposes.  The  Second  District  Registration 
Board  has  made  the  association  its  headquarters.  All  of  the  physical  examina- 
tions were  held  in  the  gymnasium  and  questions  concerning  the  draft  and 
exemption  rules  are  answered  at  the  desk. 

In  connection  with  the  enrollment  of  drafted  men,  two  gymnasium  classes 
were  conducted  by  Mr.  Smethurst  each  week  to  give  the  men  training  in  setting 
up  exercises  previous  to  their  strenuous  camp  work.  These  exercises,  and  all 
the  privileges  given  to  army  and  navy  men,  have  been  absolutely  free  of  cost. 

To  every  man  already  in  camp  has  been  given  a  special  ticket,  good  for 
privileges  in  any  Y.  M.  C.  A.  in  the  world.     Thus  the  local  Y.  M.  C.  A.  has 


272      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

opened  the  doors  of  Y.  M.  C.  A.  buildings  in  every  place  where  a  Waterbury 
boy  may  be  stationed. 

Rev.  Robert  K.  Brown,  pastor  of  the  Second  Congregational  Church,  has 
sailed  for  France,  where  he  will  remain  for  six  months,  engaged  in  the  war 
relief  work  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  In  leaving  his  home  duties  for  six  months,  Mr. 
Brown  is  responding  to  a  call  which  has  been  issued  for  1,000  men  to  carry  on 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  work  in  France.     He  is  the  first  Waterbury  man  to  answer  this  call. 

The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  has  been  exceptionally  fortunate  in  its  selection  of  general 
secretaries.  In  1892,  E.  N.  Folsom,  who  had  been  secretary  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
at  St.  Johnsbury,  Vt.,  came  to  Waterbury  and  remained  until  1895,  when  he  was 
succeeded  by  T.  P.  Day.  Mr.  Day  left  in  1898  and  was  succeeded  by  Robert  S. 
Ross.  It  was  largely  through  the  efforts  of  Mr.  Ross  and  his  splendid  committee 
aids  that  the  heavy  mortgage  on  the  present  building  was  lifted.  In  1909,  much 
to  the  regret  of  his  many  friends  in  the  association,  he  resigned  to  go  to  the  New 
Haven  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and  was  succeeded  by  Ernest  F.  Goodyear.  Mr.  Goodyear 
resigned  August  1,  191 2,  and  was  succeeded  on  September  1,  191 2,  by  the  present 
general  secretary,  William  H.  Davis. 

The  membership  in  1895  was  375  in  addition  to  175  sustaining  members  or 
patrons.     In  November,  1917,  the  membership  is  750,  including  patrons. 

The  present  officers  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  are  as  follows: 

President,  W.  W.  Bowers ;  vice  president,  Levi  Wilcox ;  treasurer,  A.  B. 
Dayton;  recording  secretary,  Oscar  Stahl;  general  secretary,  William  H.  Davis; 
board  of  directors,  E.  A.  Andersen,  W.  W.  Bowers,  C.  F.  Carpenter,  R.  L.  Coe, 
A.  N.  Colegrove,  C.  P.  Cook,  J.  H.  Curtis,  A.  B.  Dayton,  Dr.  F.  J.  Erbe,  J.  E. 
Neily,  B.  P.  Hyde,  Theodore  Lilley,  E.  F.  Phelan,  H.  C.  Post,  R.  E.  Piatt,  Oscar 
iStahl,  C.  H.  Stillson,  F.  B.  Webster,  Levi  Wilcox. 

The  Woman's  Auxiliary  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  was  organized  in  1892,  and  has 
been  helpful  in  all  the  association's  endeavors.  In  1893  lt  supplied  the  funds  for 
the  furnishing  of  the  dormitories  of  the  new  building.  It  also  helped  in  raising 
the  money  to  lift  the  mortgage  on  the  present  structure.  It  has  now  a  membership 
of  150,  and  its  president  is  Mrs.  W.  H.  Hoffman. 

On  December  11,  1916,  the  campaign  for  a  new  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Building  began, 
with  Charles  Sumner  Ward,  of  the  International  Committee  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
in  charge.  The  object  was  to  raise  $350,000  for  a  new  site  and  building.  It  was 
the  first  large  "intensive"  campaign  to  raise  money  on  the  plan  which  has  since 
become  familiar. 

TJie  three  groups  that  were  effective  in  collecting  the  building  fund  were 
headed  by  John  H.  Goss,  Darragh  DeLancey,  and  Robert  L.  Coe.  Former 
President  William  H.  Taft  was  a  speaker  at  the  opening  banquet.  Practically 
half  of  the  fund  was  raised  in  twenty-four  hours.  On  December  19,  1916,  the 
fund  was  completed. 

The  site  first  selected,  the  Driggs  property  on  West  Main  Street  near  Willow, 
proved  to  be  unpopular  and  on  October  25,  191 7,  the  old  Baptist  Church  site  on 
Grand  Street  was  decided  upon  for  the  new  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and  tentative  plans  have 
been  made  to  raise  the  additional  amount  needed  for  the  purchase  of  the  ground. 

The  appointment  late  in  191 7  of  Charles  Lee,  of  Bemis,  Tenn.,  to  take  charge 
of  the  Industrial  Department  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  has  been  fraught  with  excellent 
results.  The  purpose  of  this  department  is  to  take  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  program  out- 
side of  its  building  and  to  co-operate  with  all  other  agencies  that  are  striving  to 
improve  conditions.  The  English  night  school  opened  December  10,  191 7,  in  the 
Sprague  School  at  Waterville  for  the  benefit  of  foreign  workers,  was  the  direct 
result  of  Mr.  Lee's  work. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  273 

Walter  A.  Smethurst,  physical  director  and  his  assistant,  Willard  A.  Manor, 
have  kept  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  progressing  on  all  indoor  and  outdoor  athletic  activities! 

The  presidents  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  since  1895  were  as  follows:  George  W. 
Beach,  Henry  W.  Scovill,  T.  R.  Hyde,  Jr.,  Benj.  L.  Coe,  Charles  D.  Nye,  John 
H.  Goss,  Clarence  P.  Cook,  and  W.  W.  Bowers. 

WILLIAM    H.    DAVIS 

William  H.  Davis,  the  present  general  secretary  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  assumed 
his  position  on  September  1,  1912. 

Mr.  Davis  is  a  native  of  Leicester,  Mass.,  and  was  graduated  from  the  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  Training  School  (now  college),  at  Springfield,  in  1894.  He  had  held 
association  positions  in  Greenfield,  Mass.,  Bridgeport,  Brooklyn,  Portland,  Me., 
North  Adams,  Mass.,  and  Cambridge.  He  was  general  secretary  in  several  of 
these  places,  including  Greenfield,  Bridgeport  and  Portland,  and  at  North  Adams 
he  reorganized  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  after  activities  had  been  suspended,  during  hard 
times. 

He  has  the  distinction  of  having  played  basketball  on  the  first  team  to  play 
the  game  in  this  country,  at  the  Springfield  Training  School.  He  also  played 
football  at  Springfield  and  was  a  half-back  on  the  famous  training  school  organ- 
ization known  as  "Stagg's  eleven." 

THE    WATERBURY    BOYS'    CLUB 

The  Boys'  Club  of  Waterbury  was  planned  by  John  C.  Collins  of  New  Haven, 
and  was  established  by  him  in  January,  1888.  Mr.  Collins'  idea  was  to  provide 
a  place  where  street  gamins  could  find  recreation  at  night  and  where  their  interests 
would  be  protected.  W.  P.  Jarrett  was  the  first  superintendent  of  the  club,  which 
started  work  at  4  Market  Place  and  he  remained  in  charge  one  year.  He  was 
succeeded  by  H.  N.  Hansel,  who  retired  in  1890.  The  club  did  not  prosper  in 
those  years.  It  was  a  new  institution  and  there  were  many  difficulties  to  over- 
come.    The  public  did  not  understand  it,  and  it  threatened  to  be  a  failure. 

It  was  at  that  time  that  the  attention  of  the  directors  was  called  to  Nicholas 
Combellack,  who  was  conducting  a  club  in  New  Haven  for  the  divinity  students 
of  Yale  College.  They  visited  his  institution  and  were  so  much  impressed  with 
his  ability  as  a  manager  that  they  engaged  him  September  1,  1890,  to  superintend 
the  Waterbury  Boys'  Club.  Mr.  Combellack  has  since  been  in  charge  of  it  and 
under  his  control  it  has  grown  to  its  present  importance.  It  removed  to  21  Harri- 
son Avenue  in  September,  1891. 

Mr.  Combellack  when  he  came  to  Waterbury  found  a  reading  room  and  library 
where  boys  who  belonged  to  the  club  congregated  at  night  and  read  such  news- 
papers and  books  as  best  pleased  them.  They  were  not  particularly  cleanly,  so 
he  established  a  bath  room  and  insisted  that  every  member  of  the  club  should 
bathe  at  least  once  a  week.  This  was  a  great  improvement,  and  the  boys  soon 
learned  cleanly  habits.  Mr.  Combellack  then  added  a  little  gymnasium,  buying 
dumbbells  and  Indian  clubs  and  invited  the  boys  to  exercise  their  muscles.  This 
proved  popular. 

No  provision  had  been  made  to  house  the  boys  who  came  in  from  the  street. 
They  were  obliged,  when  the  club  rooms  closed,  to  return  to  the  pavement  and 
find  shelter  where  they  could.  Mr.  Combellack  told  the  directors  that  they  should 
furnish  beds  for  the  boys  who  had  no  homes,  and  with  their  sanction  he  rented 
the  floor  above  the  library  and  fitted  up  a  dormitory  in  the  winter  of   [892.     He 


Vol.  1—18 


274  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

found  that  Waterbury  was  the  goal  of  many  runaway  boys  from  other  towns  who 
were  in  the  habit  of  sleeping  in  freight  cars  and  railroad  yards  or  wherever  they 
could  find  a  place.  He  said  that  such  boys  should  be  taken  to  the  club  rooms  and 
he  organized  his  club  members  into  a  corps  to  search  for  and  bring  runaways  to 
the  club  where  they  could  have  shelter  until  returned  to  their  families.  In  this 
way,  many  runaways  who  might  have  been  led  to  criminal  lives  have  been  re- 
stored to  their  homes  or  put  to  work  at  useful  occupations. 

The  dormitory  naturally  led  to  the  establishment  of  a  dining-room  and 
kitchen,  and  then  Mr.  Combellack  provided  for  the  improvement  of  the  boys'  minds 
by  organizing  a  class  to  teach  them  the  rudiments.  As  the  membership  increased, 
he  enlarged  the  gymnasium  and  engaged  instructors  to  teach  them  in  military 
drill,  fencing  and  singing.  The  club  was  incorporated  under  the  general  joint 
stock  law  in  May,  1895,  Douglas  F.  Maltby  being  the  first  president. 

The  following  were  the  officers  in  1897:  President,  D.  F.  Maltby;  vice  presi- 
dent, D.  L.  Smith ;  secretary,  A.  C.  Mintie ;  treasurer,  B.  G.  Bryan ;  superin- 
tendent, Nicholas  Combellack;  directors,  D.  F.  Maltby,  A.  C.  Mintie,  C.  S.  Chap- 
man, C.  F.  Mitchell  and  D.  L.  Smith. 

After  occupying  rooms  at  No.  4  Market  Place  until  September,  1891,  the  club 
was  located  at  21  Harrison  Avenue. 

The  new  home  of  the  Boys'  Club  on  Cottage  Place,  next  to  the  Federal  Build- 
ing, was  opened  January  9,  1906.  The  club  proper  occupies  the  second  floor. 
The  office  is  at  the  top  of  the  first  flight  of  stairs.  The  entrance,  as  well  as  all  of 
the  woodwork  of  the  interior,  is  finished  in  quartered  oak.  The  quartered  oak 
office  with  its  glass  panels  must  be  passed  before  any  other  portion  of  the  club 
can  be  visited. 

Opening  out  of  this  office  is  the  private  office  of  the  superintendent.  The 
directors'  room  is  immediately  in  front  of  the  private  office.  The  three  rooms 
occupied  by  Superintendent  Combellack  and  family  are  located  in  the  front  of 
the  building. 

In  the  rear  of  the  office  is  the  dormitory  in  two  galleries  opening  into  the  game 
room.  Each  room  is  fitted  up  with  bed,  dresser,  clothes  tree  and  chair.  The  large 
dining-room,  kitchen  and  club  parlors  are  to  be  found  on  the  third  floor.  Read- 
ing rooms  and  class  rooms  are  also  to  be  found  on  this  floor. 

Baths,  shower  and  tub,  are  liberally  sprinkled  over  the  building.  A  large 
swimming  tank  in  the  basement  affords  one  of  the  best  indoor  baths  in  the  state. 
It  has  a  raised  wall  all  around  it  to  prevent  accidents.  No  boy  can  be  pushed 
into  the  pool  against  his  wish  without  considerable  exertion  on  the  part  of  the 
pusher. 

The  first  floor,  rear,  is  fitted  up  with  a  combination  gymnasium  and  game 
room.  There  are  three  rooms  here  which  can  at  once  be  thrown  into  one  for 
entertainments,  if  occasion  requires.  A  stage  has  also  been  fitted  up  in  the 
gymnasium. 

The  building  was  erected  and  furnished  throughout  by  generous  friends  of 
the  institution.  The  bedrooms  each  bear  the  name  of  its  donor  or  donors.  A 
full  list  of  these  patrons  and  patronesses  follows:  Dr.  William  A.  Goodrich, 
John  C.  Sherwood  "in  memory  of  Captain  Colby,"  Miss  Edith  Kingsbury  "in 
memory  of  her  brother,"  the  Young  Women's  Guild  of  Trinity  Church,  Dr.  E.  J. 
Abbott,  a  friend,  L.  W.  Street,  Miss  E.  D.  Warner  and  Mrs.  Julia  V.  W.  Spencer 
"in  memory  of  a  brother,"  F.  S.  Chase's  children,  J.  B.  Burrall,  Fletcher  Judson. 
Mrs.  T.  I.  Morton  "in  memory  of  her  grandson,"  the  Misses  Katherine  A.  and 
Sarah  J.  Prichard,  two  rooms  "in  memory  of  David  Prichard,"  Charles  P.  Kel- 
logg,  Miss  Hughes,  Miss  Annie   Cables,   Mrs.   W.   H.   Holmes  "in  memory  of 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  275 

Dr.  Walter  Hamlin  Holmes,"  .Mrs.  George  W.  .Minor,  Dr.  W.  O.  Beecher,  E.  A. 
Bass,  Levi  Wilcox,  Miss  Burrall,  A.  E.  Rice,  a  friend. 

The  secret  of  success  at  the  Boys'  Club  has  been  the  aim  of  Mr.  Combellack 
to  make  the  institution  as  homelike  as  possible.  For  the  comfort  and  entertain- 
ment of  the  hoys  there  now  are  the  gymnasium,  the  bowling  alleys,  pool  tables, 
dance  hall  and  private  orchestra,  moving  pictures,  shower  baths  and  the  large 
swimming  tank,  private  baths,  a  large  dining-room,  dramatic  club,  debating  club, 
library  equipped  with  2,500  books,  sitting  room,  game  room  and  reception  room. 

Air.  Combellack  runs  the  club  to  mjake  both  ends  meet  by  turning  out  the  best 
meals  and  affording  the  best  rooming  conditions  available  in  this  city  for  the 
price.  The  rates  differ,  the  price  being  regulated  according  to  the  position  held 
by  the  boy  or  young  man.  Prices  run  from  two  to  five  dollars  a  week.  There  is 
a  homelike  atmosphere  which  appeals  to  homeless  boys  and  there  is  liberty  for 
all  members  that  the  boys  naturally  prefer  the  club  rather  than  a  boarding  house, 
which  offers  no  such  choice  of  occupations  and  recreations.  Boys  who  live  with 
their  parents  patronize  the  club  extensively,  enjoying  the  privileges  of  the  game 
room,  gymnasium,  tank  and  dance  hall. 

The  first  improvement  on  the  new  building  was  the  establishment  in  1913  of 
fourteen  dormitories  in  the  annex,  a  building  next  to  the  main  club  building  and 
formerly  the  old  Steele  home.  This  is  under  the  supervision  of  a  competent 
matron.     The  rooms  are  well  furnished. 

The  next  need  for  larger  quarters  was  felt  in  the  gymnasium.  At  the  time 
the  new  building  was  put  up,  the  "gym''  was  considered  large  enough  to  meet  the 
club's  needs  for  years  to  come.  It  was  not  until  191 3  that  the  club  felt  able  to 
undertake  the  extensive  improvements  necessary  for  the  enlarging  of  the  "gym." 
By  knocking  out  the  south  wall  and  raising  the  roof  eight  feet,  it  was  possible 
to  enlarge  the  floor  space  from  jo  by  50  feet  to  50  by  60  feet,  and  also  to  install 
a  running  track  six  feet  wide,  with  twenty-seven  laps  to  the  mile. 

In  his  report  of  1917,  the  superintendent  speaks  as  follows  of  the  work: 

"This  has  been  a  year  of  prosperity  for  the  Boys'  Club,  and  we  have  felt  its 
results.  We  have  cleared  our  indebtedness,  paying  off  a  debt  of  $18,000,  so  that 
we  are  now  practically  free  from  debt. 

''Our  membership  has  kept  up  to  1,000,  its  usual  number.  The  gymnasium 
classes  have  been  very  popular,  as  they  always  are.  The  wireless  class  has  a 
large  membership,  something  very  gratifying  in  these  days  when  it  has  become 
necessary  to  prepare  for  all  possible  emergencies. 

"Our  Sunday  night  pictures  and  lectures  have  steadily  grown  in  popularity. 
We  have  shown  the  Paramount  pictures  and  our  average  attendance  has  been 
600.  This  branch  of  our  work  has  been  very  greatly  helped  by  the  acquisition  of 
a  new  Powers  moving  picture  machine,  $400  toward  the  cost  of  the  machine,  $602, 
being  the  gift  of  a  friend  of  the  club,  and  the  balance  paid  by  the  boys  them- 
selves. The  boys  have  also  purchased  a  new  player  piano  and  paid  for  the  picture 
films,  raising  the  money  by  collections  among  themselves  and  their  friends.  The 
I'.ronson  Library  has  placed  a  number  of  interesting  books  in  our  club  library, 
as  a  loan  library  for  the  boys,  and  many  books  have  been  taken  out  to  be  read  in 
the  homes.  Our  club  savings  bank  has  received  a  large  number  of  deposits. 
The  endowment  fund,  which  should  eventually  amount  to  S50.000  in  order  to 
place  the  Boys'  Club  on  a  permanent  basis  has  grown  to  $10,000  through  the 
generosity  of  the  late  Mrs.  Julia  V.  Warner  Spencer." 

In  1908  Air.  Combellack  organized  the  Watt  rbury  Boys'  Club  Band,  which 
was  soon  so  well  trained  that  in  the  following  year  it  gave  concerts  in  Hamilton 
Park.     To  begin,  there  were  twenty-four  boys  in  the  band,  ranging  in  age  from 


276  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Edward  Osphalat,  the  8-year-old  drum  major,  to  boys  of  sixteen.  In  191 1  it 
was  changed  to  the  Waterbury  Boys'  Club  Military  Band,  and  a  junior  band  for 
training  was  added. 

It  has  visited  neighboring  cities,  and  is  a  part  of  all  parades  in  Waterbury. 
The  present  membership  ranges  from  twenty-four  to  thirty. 

The  following  table  gives  a  very  good  idea  of  the  club's  activities.  It  is  a 
statement  for  1916  and  includes  the  savings  bank  statement: 

RECEIPTS    FOR    1916 

Balance   $  1,901.50 

Miscellaneous  218.53 

Interest  on  money  in  bank 75-59 

Receipt  from  Wade  Endowment 95.00 

Gifts  for  special  purposes 2,325.00 

City  Basket  Ball  League 82.79 

Athletic  meet  52.10 

Band    808.00 

Pool 163.75 

Loan    202.88 

Board 10,798.65 

Lodgings 3,684.25 

Memberships    410.30 

Club  rents 1,178.15 

Entertainments    7I4~25 

General  gifts 3,244.00  ' 

Special  gifts  for  debt 5,450.00 

Total    $31,404.74 

EXPENDITURES    FOR    I916 

Dining  hall  and  kitchen $  8,823.42 

Bedrooms    834.53 

Janitors 472.16 

Salaries  2,669.50 

Furnishings    908.73 

Office 1 13.54 

Lighting 7°7-49 

Heating 1 ,529.69 

Expense  gift  to  Doctor  Denman 300.00 

Christmas  entertainment   34-5° 

Amateur  League  72-79 

Liquid  soap   44- I0 

Traveling  expense,  physical  director 58.00 

Incidentals    667.39 

Tax  on  loan 62.80 

Athletic  Association   52-io 

Athletic  Association  1,291.68 

Insurance    5°°4I 

Interest   785-°° 

Repairs    1,215.12 


WATER  BURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  277 

Entertainments 1,435.00 

1  land    937-40 

Loan    390.45 

Water  rent I95-3(J 

Building  fund   6,224.21 

Balance  2,371.05 

Total   $31,404.74 

Boys'  savings  bank  account  for  1916;  number  of  deposits  47;  amount  de- 
posited, $178.35  :  amount  withdrawn,  $176.10;  balance  on  hand,  $2.25. 

The  officers  for  1917  are:  President,  Cornelius  Tracy;  secretary,  W.  J.  Lar- 
kin,  Jr.;  treasurer,  Charles  F.  Mitchell. 

These,  together  with  F.  S.  Chase,  Hugh  L.  Thompson,  Truman  S.  Lewis, 
Charles  P.  Kellogg  and  John  S.  Dye,  form  the  board  of  directors. 

THE    BOY    SCOUTS   OF   AMERICA 

The  Boy  Scouts  of  America  established  a  Waterbury  Council  in  September, 
1913.  Prior  to  that  in  191 1  E.  L.  White  had  organized  a  Boy  Scouts  Troop  at 
the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  consisting  of  twenty-five  boys.  This  formed  the  nucleus  of  the 
Boy  Scout  work  in  the  city.  This  troop  was  superseded  in  January,  1912,  by 
anotber  organization  called  Troop  I,  with  E.  L.  White  as  scout  master.  This 
troop  met  at  St.  John's  Parish,  as  it  was  composed  largely  of  boys  from  that 
church.  In  June,  1912,  Troop  2  was  organized  at  the  First  Methodist  Church 
with  C.  F.  Northrop  as  scout  master. 

The  first  officers  of  the  council  were:  Julius  Maltby,  president;  W.  J.  Shana- 
han,  secretary  and  treasurer,  and  E.  L.  White,  scout  commissioner. 

The  work  of  the  council  consisted  in  extending  the  work,  in  organizing  new 
troops  and  in  supervising  troops  already  organized.  After  Troop  9  was  organ- 
ized it  became  apparent  that  the  scout  commissioner  needed  assistance,  and  C.  F. 
Northrop  .was  appointed  deputy  scout  commissioner  in  September,  191 5.  During 
191 5  Troops  10  to  21  were  organized,  giving  a  total  membership  at  the  end  of 
191 5  of  approximately  three  hundred.  Mr.  Northrop  now  gave  part  time  to  the 
work  on  salary.  In  April,  19 16,  a  financial  campaign  for  funds  was  begun  to 
raise  $12,000  to  continue  the  work  for  three  years.  This  was  the  first  of  the 
financial  campaigns  along  these  lines  conducted  in  Waterbury,  and  instead  ot 
$12,000,  the  amount  raised  was  $24,000. 

Troop  31,  organized  at  St.  Ann's  Roman  Catholic  Church,  was  the  last  one 
instituted  up  to  November  1,  19 17,  but  in  December  five  new  troops  were  to  be 
in  shape  for  organization.  The  total  membership  December  1,  191 7,  was  750. 
The  officers  of  the  council  now  are:  Darragh  deLancey,  president;  C.  H.  W. 
Newton,  T.  F.  Carmody,  H.  H.  Heminway,  vice  presidents;  C.  E.  Spencer,  Jr., 
treasurer;  E.  S.  Sanderson,  scout  commissioner;  C.  F.  Northrop,  secretary  and 
scout  executive. 

The  Waterbury  Scouts  have  been  a  great  aid  in  all  of  the  war  work,  assist- 
ing particularly  in  both  Liberty  Loan  campaigns  and  in  co-operating  with  the 
Red  Cross. 

The  Boy  Scout  movement  seeks  to  help  boys  on  leaving  school  to  escape  the 
evils  of  "blind  alley"  occupations,  that  is,  such  work  as  gives  the  boy  a  mere 
wage  for  the  moment,  but  leaves  him  stranded  without  any  trade  or  handicraft 
to  pursue  when  he  is  a  man  and  so  send  him  as  a  recruit  to  the  great  army  of 
unemployed,  and  what  is  worse,  the  unemployable. 


278  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Scoutcraft  includes  instruction  in  first  aid,  life  saving,  tracking,  signaling, 
cycling,  Nature  study,  seamanship,  campcraft,  woodcraft,  chivalry  and  all  of  the 
handicrafts.  No  expensive  equipment  is  required.  All  that  is  needed  is  the  out- 
of-doors,  a  group  of  boys  and  a  competent  leader.  By  combining  wholesome, 
attractive,  out-door  activities  with  the  influence  of  the  Scout  oath  and  law,  the 
movement  develops  character. 

In  scouting,  the  boy  does  not  stand  still.  The  opportunity  and  incentive  for 
progress  is  always  at  hand. 

He  becomes  a  tenderfoot,  and  then  a  second  class  Scout,  and  then  a  first  class 
Scout.  After  this,  the  whole  sphere  of  the  Scout  program  is  made  available  by 
the  boy's  own  application  in  qualifying  himself  to  pass  the  test  for  the  various 
merit  badges. 

There  are  now  among  the  Boy  Scouts,  a  number  who  have  become  expert  in 
making  fire  by  friction,  that  is  by  the  "Bow"  method  of  rubbing  sticks.  Fire  by 
friction  was  first  made  in  Waterbury  scout  ranks  by  Raymond  Bedell,  formerly 
of  Troop  2,  now  assistant  scout  master  in  Troop  i,  at  Oakville.  His  fastest 
time  was  35%  seconds.  Since  then  in  local  and  state  competitions  the  record 
has  gone  steadily  down.  James  Walker  of  Troop  11,  Bunker  Hill,  broke  the 
world's  record  for  Scouts  in  a  meet  at  Bristol,  March  3,  1917,  making  it  in  13% 
seconds.  Shortly  after  in  an  exhibition  at  the  Brooklyn  Athletic  Club  of  this  city 
he  lowered  this  record  to  12  seconds  flat.  In  the  fall  scout  meet  held  at  Hamil- 
ton Park,  October  6th,  he  again  broke  his  record,  lowering  it  to  11  seconds.  He 
will  soon  in  all  likelihood  make  the  record  10  seconds  or  better,  as  he  has  already 
done  this  in  practice.  Paul  Steere  and  Jos.  DeMunda  of  Troop  1 1  have  both 
done  faster  than  12  seconds. 

In  the  knot-tying  contest  Waterbury  holds  the  state  record,  John  Kitchenka 
of  Troop  3  having  made  it  in  18  seconds. 

Scout  meets  are  held  regularly  on  February  8th,  the  anniversary  of  the  scout 
movement,  and  usually  a  state  meet  is  held  about  February  22d.  It  is  also 
customary  to  hold  local  and  state  meets  in  October.  In  the  last  two  state  meets 
Waterbury  outpointed  all  other  cities  in  the  state  combined. 

THE  WATERBURY    INDUSTRIAL   SCHOOL   AND   GIRLS'    CLUB 

The  Waterbury  Industrial  School  and  Girls'  Club,  founded  to  meet  a  great 
social  need  in  1865,  is  still  working  along  the  same  general  lines  of  helpfulness 
outlined  by  those  far-seeing  men  and  women  in  the  earlier  years  of  Waterbury's 
history.  In  1890,  through  the  generosity  of  Elisha  Leavenworth,  who  gave  it 
$10,000  toward  a  building  fund,  it  opened  the  beautiful  building  on  Central 
Avenue.  In  1895  its  charter  was  amended  so  that  the  corporation  could  hold 
property  to  the  amount  of  $100,000. 

On  the  death  of  Mr.  Leavenworth  in  191 1,  in  addition  to  a  gift  of  $25,000, 
the  Waterbury  Industrial  School  Association  was  bequeathed  the  Leavenworth 
house  and  part  of  the  property  touching  upon  the  original  site  of  the  school  itself. 
The  house  was  moved  back  from  West  Main  Street,  placed  so  as  to  front  upon 
Park  Place,  renovated,  and  so  fitted  up  that  ten  children,  besides  three  boarders, 
could  be  accommodated  in  it. 

The  house  is  now  used  as  a  home  for  the  teachers  and  is  in  charge  of  the 
director,  Miss  Margaret  M.  Goodwin. 

In  19 14  the  playground,  which  was  part  of  the  old  Leavenworth  garden,  was 
opened  and  has  been  one  of  the  most  successful  of  the  school's  activities. 

For  small  children  there  are  now  daily  classes  in  cooking,  sewing,  knitting, 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  279 

embroidery,  nursing  and  housekeeping.  These  are  held  from  4  to  5  130  each  after- 
noon during  eight  months  of  the  year.  The  little  ones  pay  5  cents  a  month  for 
this  privilege. 

Similar  classes  arc  held  in  the  evenings  from  7:30  to  9:30  for  girls  who  work 
during  the  day.  For  this  privilege,  the  girls  pay  $1.00  a  year.  Twice  a  month 
there  are  social  evenings  and  quite  often  during  the  season  there  are  amateur 
dramatic  performances  and  dances. 

There  are  five  teachers  regularly  employed  and  twenty-live  volunteer  teachers. 

(  >ne  paid  employee  devotes  all  her  time  to  the  bathing  facilities.  These  are 
showers  and  tub  baths  which  are  patronized  daily  by  the  children  from  poorer 
families  and  from  the  congested  districts. 

The  officers  in  1893  were:  President,  Mrs.  S.  E.  Harrison;  vice  president, 
Mrs.  A.  S.  Chase;  secretary,  Mrs.  G.  C.  Hill;  treasurer,  Katherine  L.  Peck; 
prudential  committee,  Mrs.  Rufus  E.  Smith,  Katherine  L.  Peck,  Elisha  Leaven- 
worth, ]•'.  B.  Rice,  A.  S.  Chase. 

The  officers  for  1917  are:  President,  Miss  Katherine  D.  Hamilton;  vice 
president,  Mrs.  Katherine  L.  Peck;  treasurer,  Mrs.  Nelson  A.  Pomeroy;  secre- 
tary. Mrs.  Edyth  A.  Allen;  auditor,  Mrs.  Albert  D.  Field;  assistant  auditor,  Miss 
Delia  Field;  prudential  committee,  Mrs.  Katherine  D.  Hamilton,  Mrs.  Katherine 
L.  Peck,  Otis  S.  Northrop,  Arthur  R.  Kimball,  John  H.  Goss. 

The  income  of  the  association  is  derived  from  private  donations,  an  endow- 
ment fund,  and  from  the  fees  from  pupils. 

To  make  it  thoroughly  effective,  the  work  is  not  being  carried  on  simply 
within  the  school,  but  all  those  who  are  actively  engaged  as  teachers  and  assist- 
ants are  making  it  a  part  of  their  work  to  visit  the  homes  of  their  pupils,  thus 
taking  a  personal  interest  in  each  child  and  gaining  an  insight  into  what  that 
child  most  needs  to  make  her  a  good  American  woman. 

At  the  present  time  there  is  a  total  of  ten  cooking  classes — five  afternoon  and 
five  evening  classes,  and  also  two  supper  clubs.  These  supper  clubs  are  one  of 
the  new  departures  in  the  school  work.  They  are  made  up  of  the  older  girls 
who  work  during  the  daytime. 

Because  of  their  novelty  and  departure  from  the  usual  run  of  cooking  classes, 
the  supper  clubs  are  specially  interesting,  but  there  is  no  lack  of  interest  or  of 
enthusiasm  in  just  the  plain  cooking  classes.  The  afternoon  classes  are  made 
up  of  girls  between  the  ages  of  eight  and  fourteen  years.  No  girl  who  takes 
cooking  in  the  public  schools  is  supposed  to  take  cooking  at  the  industrial  school. 
The  classes  begin  with  the  most  simple  recipes  and  gradually  work  up  through 
the  harder  and  more  difficult  concoctions  until  they  are  able  to  master  bread, 
cake,  pie,  etc. 

The  tasks  which  are  set  before  the  little  workers  are  the  very  homely  tasks 
of  washing  old  tins,  scrubbing  sinks,  cleaning  stoves  and  the  like,  but  the  children 
enter  into  them  with  a  zest  that  accomplishes  wonders.  To  keep  up  this  interest, 
the  leaders  are  having  the  children  make  scrapbooks  in  which,  by  means  of  pic- 
tures cut  from  magazines,  they  arrange  kitchens  to  suit  their  own  tastes.  Thus 
they  learn  how  to  plan  with  an  eye  for  saving  needless  steps.  In  their  visits  to 
the  homes  of  the  children,  the  leaders  see  wherein  the  lessons  taught  at  school 
are  applied  to  home  conditions  and  this  transplanting  into  the  homes  what  has 
been  learned  outside  is  unconsciously  passed  from  the  daughters  to  the  mothers, 
and  before  long  it  becomes  the  customary  way  of  doing  things  in  that  child's  home. 


280  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

WATERBURY  INSTITUTE  OF  CRAFT  AND  INDUSTRY 

The  Waterbury  Institute  of  Craft  and  Industry,  known  until  1908  as  the 
Young  Women's  Friendly  League,  is  now  in  its  twenty-eighth  year  of  usefulness. 
It  was  organized  in  1889  and  incorporated  in  1893.  Its  teachers  are  in  charge  of 
Miss  Harriet  Goddard  Brown,  and  most  of  them  are  graduates  of  Drexel  Insti- 
tute, Philadelphia.  These  instructors,  whose  departments  give  some  idea  of  the 
nature  of  the  institution's  work,  are  as  follows: 

Miss  Helen  C.  Palmatary,  director  of  the  school  of  housekeeping;  instructor 
in  cookery  and  household  economics ;  Miss  Helen  J.  Long,  director  and  instructor 
of  the  courses  in  domestic  art ;  Miss  E.  Lillian  Gillespie,  instructor  of  the  courses 
in  domestic  art;  instructor  of  the  courses  in  handicraft;  Mrs.  Albert  H.  Fassen- 
der,  instructor  of  the  courses  in  pillow-lace-making;  Miss  Phyllis  D.  Clarke, 
director  and  instructor  of  physical  training;  Miss  Helene  Cecil  Tuttle,  director 
and  instructor  of  the  courses  in  expression  and  dramatic  art;  Arthur  Schuckai, 
director  of  the  institute  chorus. 

The  institution  has  now  approximately  two  hundred  pupils.  It  is  supported 
by  the  tuition  of  the  students  and  by  private  donations.  The  institute  owns  its 
building  on  Leavenworth  Street. 

Its  officers  in  1917  are:  President,  Anna  L.  Ward;  vice  presidents,  Mrs. 
Frederick  D.  Buckley,  Mrs.  Arthur  Reed  Kimball,  Mrs.  Edward  T.  Root,  Mrs. 
Otis  S.  Northrop,  Mrs.  Frederick  Wilcox,  Mrs.  Jay  H.  Hart;  treasurer,  Floren- 
tine H.  Hayden;  recording  secretary,  Ellen  R.  Townsend;  auditor,  George  E. 
Judd ;  advisory  board,  Mrs.  Frederick  M.  Peasley,  James  S.  Elton,  Otis  S. 
Northrop,  Irving  H.  Chase,  Archer  J.  Smith,  Henry  L.  Rowland. 

For  nineteen  years  its  annual  exhibitions  have  given  the  people  of  Waterbury 
a  fair  conception  of  the  extent  and  thoroughness  of  its  work.  On  June  7,  1917, 
at  its  exhibition  for  this  year,  its  new  department  in  dietetics  prepared  meals  in 
accordance  with  charts  defining  the  number  of  calories  necessary  to  sustain  life 
according  to  the  nature  of  occupation,  height,  weight,  etc. 

In  the  department  of  domestic  art  Miss  Helen  J.  Long,  the  director,  ex- 
hibited an  extensive  array  of  wearing  apparel,  including  suits,  dresses,  lingerie, 
waists,  skirts  and  hats.  Attractive  collar  and  cuff  sets  made  from  odd  material 
were  an  interesting  feature  of  the  display. 

Hand  work  in  the  form  of  beaded  work,  embroidery  and  fancy  stitching  were 
in  evidence  on  many  of  the  dresses. 

The  feature  of  the  display  was  the  handicraft  department,  containing  numer- 
ous exhibitions  of  loom  work,  including  rugs  and  table  covers  of  the  most 
attractive  styles.  There  are  nine  looms  at  the  institute,  and  all  were  used  con- 
stantly during  the  past  year.  Miss  DeNeergaard,  the  instructor,  had  also  on 
hand  many  pieces  of  hand  tooled  leather  and  basketware,  trays  and  other  articles 
in  which  block  printed  silk,  an  old  industry  revived,  is  used.  There  were  also 
splendid  exhibits  of  pillow  lace  making,  made  under  the  supervision  of  Mrs. 
Fassender. 

THE   TEMPERANCE    MOVEMENT    IN    WATERBURY 

The  temperance  movement  in  Waterbury  was  at  its  height  in  1894  and  1895. 
There  was  then  in  existence  the  Evergreen  Temple  of  Honor  No.  16,  with 
George  S.  Butler  as  president,  a  branch  of  a  national  temperance  association. 
This  was  dissolved  in  1897.  The  Good  Templars  had  one  lodge  known  as 
"Fraternity,"  which  remained  in  existence  from  1894  to  1899.    Its  first  president 


WATER BURY  AXI)  THE  XAUGATUCK  VALLEY  281 

was  William  Loncka.  The  Good  Templars  in  1904  established  Oscar  11  Lodge 
No.  50,  with  Andrew  Olson  as  its  first  president.  It  still  exists  with  a  member- 
ship of  nearly  a  hundred  and  with  A.  M.  Anderson  as  its  chief  official  and  Carl 
G.  Fogelberg  and  Andrew  Munson  as  secretary  and  treasurer,  respectively. 

The  Sons  of  Temperance  also  had  a  brief  existence  here,  with  High  Rock 
Division,  which  began  its  work  in  1894  and  dissolved  in  1898.  Its  first  presiding 
officer  was  Arthur  Hall. 

The  most  determined  campaign  along  temperance  lines  was  waged  during 
this  period  by  the  Catholic  societies.  In  1895  St.  Joseph's  Total  Abstinence 
Society  was  organized  and  has  been  in  existence  ever  since.  Its  meetings  were 
at  the  outset  held  in  St.  Patrick's  Hall  and  on  every  second  Sunday  in  the  month 
a  mass  meeting  open  to  the  public  was  arranged.  It  had  its  offices  in  the  old 
Lilley  Block  and  its  first  officers  were :  President,  J.  J.  McDonald ;  vice  president, 
J.  F.  McKnight ;  recording  secretary,  P.  F.  Shields;  financial  secretary,  Thomas 
Luddy ;  treasurer,  D.  J.  Casey. 

Its  present  officers  are:  President,  Edward  Dowling;  recording  secretary, 
M.  H.  Scully;  financial  secretary,  William  F.  Guilfoile;  treasurer,  Jeremiah 
Dillane.    The  society  now  has  its  own  clubhouse  at  East  Main  and  Maple  streets. 

St.  Patrick's  Total  Abstinence  Society  with  Father  J.  H.  Duggan  as  spiritual 
head  and  John  F.  Galvin  as  president,  was  organized  in  1895  and  did  splendid 
work  for  some  years,  merging  later  into  other  church  activities  along  similar  lines. 

The  St.  Aloysius  Total  Abstinence  Society  existed  from  1896  to  1905,  when 
it  also  merged  into  another  similar  church  body. 

The  St.  Francis  Xavier  Temperance  Cadets  were  organized  March  27,  1897, 
and  continue  to  be  a  splendid  influence  for  good  in  the  community.  The  present 
officers  are :  President,  Raymond  Bergin ;  secretary,  James  Kelly ;  director,  Rev. 
James  J.  Egan. 

The  Waterbury  Roman  Catholic  Total  Abstinence  and  Benevolent  Society, 
which  was  organized  February  21,  i860,  was  a  flourishing  organization  in  1895 
with  the  following  officers:  President,  Henry  R.  Byrnes;  vice  president,  James 
Meagher;  recording  secretary,  John  Thompson;  financial  secretary,  William  C. 
Keenan;  corresponding  secretary,  William  Duncan;  chaplain  and  treasurer,  Rev. 
Hugh  Treanor;  Marshal,  James  Eustace.  This  was  a  powerful  organization 
which  had  made  Father  Matthew's  cause  its  own,  and  its  meetings  on  each 
second  Sunday  in  St.  Patrick's  Hall  were  largely  attended.  It  was  active  in  its 
work  until  1905,  when  its  duties  were  assumed  by  other  church  bodies. 

The  Murphy  Temperance  Club,  of  which  Adelbert  F.  Chandler  was  presi- 
dent, the  Young  Men's  Temperance  Union,  J.  F.  Mix,  president,  and  the  Tem- 
perance Alliance  of  which  Rev.  W.  P.  Elsdon  was  the  head,  had  brief  but  active 
existences  during  1895  and  1896. 

From  1895  to  1899  the  Helping  Hand  Society  of  the  Second  Congregational 
Church  held  public  temperance  gatherings. 

There  was  also  a  Reform  Club  which,  under  the  direction  of  Rev.  R.  A. 
Nichols,  held  Sunday  afternoon  temperance  meetings  at  Jacques  Theater. 

Practical  work  in  the  temperance  cause  was  done  by  the  Union  Rescue  Mis- 
sion, a  movement  in  which  the  men  and  women  of  the  whole  city  took  an  interest. 
It  began  its  labors  in  1895.  Its  first  officials  were:  President,  Aaron  A.  Bene- 
dict; vice  president,  Mrs.  F.  F.  Cook;  secretary,  Rev.  J.  G.  Davenport;  treasurer, 
A.  C.  Mintie;  board  of  management,  Revs.  W.  P.  Elsdon,  Joseph  Ander- 
son, T.  G.  Davenport,  G.  Eldridge,  F.  S.  Townsend,  C.  Pike ;  Messrs.  E.  S.  Robbins, 
A.  C.  Mintie,  A.  A.  Benedict,  J.  N.  Webb,  G.  H.  Woodruff,  T.  Patchen; 
Mesdames  F.  F.  Cook,  F.  L.  Allen,  O.  E.  Brower,  A.  C.  Peck,  N.  Jenkins,  G.  O. 


282  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Robbins,  J.  H.  Tripp,  K.  H.  Simons,  T.  D.  Bassett,  R.  M.  Strong,  W.  A.  Holgate, 
W.  Berkeley;  executive  committee,  the  above  named  officers  and  Mrs.  G.  O. 
Robbins,  Rev.  Frank  S.  Townsend,  Mrs.  R.  M.  Strong;  committee  on  superin- 
tendent, Rev.  J.  G.  Davenport,  E.  S.  Robbins;  committee  on  rooms,  A.  C.  Mintie, 
Mrs.  G.  O.  Robbins,  Rev.  C.  Pike,  E.  S.  Robbins,  Mrs.  K.  H.  Simons. 

In  1898  it  had  established  itself  at  267  South  Main  Street  with  John  E. 
Hendsey  as  superintendent.  In  1900  Edgar  Forrest  was  superintendent,  but  the 
city  in  1901  took  up  the  charitable  end  of  the  work  and  the  mission  was  dis- 
continued. 

The  Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union  has  been  a  quiet  but  consistent 
and  persistent  advocate  of  the  cause  in  Waterbury  for  much  over  a  quarter  of  a 
century.  In  1895  its  meetings  were  held  at  267  South  Main  Street  in  the  rooms 
of  the  Union  Rescue  Mission.  Its  officers  then  were:  President,  Mrs.  F.  F. 
Cock  ,  vice  presidents,  Mrs.  Asa  Peck,  Mrs.  N.  Jenkins,  Mrs.  G.  O.  Robbins, 
Mrs.  J.  H.  Tripp,  Mrs.  K.  H.  Simons,  Mrs.  R.  A. 'Nichols,  Mrs.  W.  A.  Holgate, 
Mrs.  C.  S.  Gaylord,  Mrs.  G.  S.  Fields;  recording  secretary,  Mrs.  O.  E.  Brower; 
acting  corresponding  secretary,  Mrs.  F.  F.  Cook ;  treasurer,  Mrs.  F.  L.  Allen. 
These  represented  practically  all  of  the  Protestant  churches  in  the  city. 

From  1900  to  1903  the  W.  C.  T.  U.  met  in  Alliance  Hall.  In  1903  the  organ- 
ization moved  to  149  South  Main  and  in  1906  it  went  to  47  East  Main  Street. 

Its  present  officers  are  as  follows :  President,  Mrs.  Frank  F.  Cook ;  record- 
ing secretary,  Mrs.  Charles  Wickwire;  corresponding  secretary,  Mrs.  Edwin 
Morgan;  treasurer,  Mrs.  James  Angrave ;  Mrs.  W.  Schofield,  city  missionary; 
directors,  Mrs.  V.  M.  Neeld,  Mrs.  Wm.  Holgate,  St.,  Mrs.  Edw.  Morgan,  Mrs. 
N.  Jenkins,  Mrs.  Wm.  Thompson,  Mrs.  Milton  Wittier. 

Mrs.  Wm.  Thompson  is  chairman  of  the  medal  contest  and  supervises  an 
annual  competition  among  school  children  for  the  best  recitation  or  essay  on  a 
temperance  topic. 

THE    EARLY    CLOSING    MOVEMENT 

The  movement  for  early  closing  of  business  houses  has  been  a  continuous 
agitation  beginning  with  the  first  organization  of  business  men  in  the  community. 
One  of  the  first  accomplishments,  and  this  dates  back  to  1900,  was  the  agreement 
to  keep  stores  open  on  only  two  nights  of  each  week,  Wednesday  and  Saturday. 
Prior  to  that,  there  had  been  three  nights  of  work,  including  Tuesday,  in  many 
if  not  most  of  the  stores  of  the  city. 

The  efforts  of  the  present  chamber  of  commerce  were  for  five  years  directed 
to  a  9  o'clock  closing  on  both  Wednesday  and  Saturday. 

In  April,  1917,  the  business  men's  branch  of  the  chamber  of  commerce  finally 
managed  to  get  the  merchants  together  for  a  conference.  At  this  the  signatures 
were  obtained,  and  the  9  o'clock  closing,  both  Wednesday  and  Saturday,  has  been 
in  effect  ever  since.     There  are  but  few  stores  outside  of  the  agreement. 

The  movement  for  a  Tuesday  afternoon  holiday  during  the  summer  months 
was  agitated  for  years,  but  was  only  spasmodically  carried  out  by  a  few  mer- 
chants until  1908,  when,  under  the  chairmanship  of  H.  W.  Langley,  a  committee 
visited  all  of  the  merchants  and  secured  their  consent  to  the  inauguration  of  the 
half  holiday  in  1908. 

From  July  to  Labor  Day,  the  Tuesday  half  holiday  has  been  the  rule.  A 
fpw  of  the  hardware  stores  and  others,  however,  give  the  Saturday  half  holiday. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  283 

THE   COMMUNITY    CHRISTMAS    TREES 

Waterbur)  was  one  of  the  first  cities  in  the  country  rind  the  first  in  Connecticut 
to  establish  the  custom  of  the  Community  Christmas  Tree.  This  was  due  to 
Rev.  John  X.  Lewis,  who.  in  1913,  collected  funds  privately  and  put  up  a  tree  on 
The  Green.  The  city,  through  Mayor  Scully,  took  up  the  idea  next  year  and 
since  then  it  has  been  an  annual  event. 

A  loose  organization  known  as  the  Christmas  Tree  Committee  exists,  which  is 
called  together  by  the  mayor  annually  and  ordered  to  find  a  tree  and  make 
arrangements  for  its  decoration  and  dedication.  The  park  and  street  superin- 
tendents furnish  labor  and  supervise  the  cutting  and  erection  of  the  tree.  The 
electric  light  company  furnishes  free  current  for  the  lighting  and  the  tree  is  wired 
free  by  local  electrical  contractors.  The  printing  offices  furnish  song  sheets  and 
usually  there  has  been  a  volunteer  chorus  of  school  children,  trained  by  the 
music  supervisor,  to  lead  the  thousands  who  assemble  in  a  program  of  Christ- 
mas and  patriotic  music.  A  bugle  sounds,  and  the  lights  are  turned  on  to  music 
by  a  band.  All  this  takes  place  annually  on  Christmas  Eve.  It  was  decided  in 
[917  not  to  bring  out  the  school  children  in  a  body  as  the  weather  sometimes 
makes  the  affair  in  the  nature  of  a  hardship  for  the  youngsters.  In  1916  the  tree 
was  erected  in  Library  Park,  but  in  191 7  it  was  on  The  Green  once  more. 

The  committee  organized  in  1917  by  electing  Rev.  John  N.  Lewis  chairman 
and  William  J.  Pape,  clerk. 

There  is  a  project  to  plant  a  growing  spruce  or  pine  on  The  Green  so  that 
Waterbury  will  have  a  permanent  Christmas  tree  and  not  have  to  ravage  the 
woods  anew  each  year. 

elisha  Leavenworth's  benefactions 

The  will  of  Elisha  Leavenworth,  made  October  17,  1910,  the  year  prior  to 
his  death,  has  become  an  historic  document  for  Waterbury.  He  was,  perhaps,  the 
greatest  of  the  city's  philanthropists,  and  had  during  his  life  time  given  much 
toward  the  betterment  and  the  beautirication  of  Waterbury.  The  gifts,  the  first 
of  the  donations  to  the  Mattatuck  Historical  Society  and  to  the  Waterbury  In- 
dustrial School  and  Home  for  Girls,  are  all  mentioned  in  their  proper  chapters. 

The  will  itself  after  many  individual  bequests  to  relatives  and  others,  gave 
$15,000  to  the  Petersburg,  Ya.,  Home  for  the  Sick.  Its  Waterbury  public  bequests 
were  as  follows : 

To  the  Waterbury  Plospital  he  bequeathed  $io,coo  for  general  purposes  and 
$10,000  for  the  purpose  of  maintaining  ''a  free  bed  in  said  hospital,  to  be  known 
as  the  Cynthia  Leavenworth  free  bed,  in  memory  of  my  deceased  wife,  for  the 
use  of  such  persons  as  may  be  designated  by  the  executive  committee  of  said 
hospital,  the  same  to  be  to  it  and  its  successors  forever." 

His  bequest  to  the  Waterbury  Industrial  School  was  $45,000,  of  which 
$25,000  was  to  be  invested  and  the  income  only  to  be  used  for  the  general  pur- 
poses of  the  school.  The  remaining  $20,000  was  given  to  the  school  "to  provide 
an  income  which  is  to  be  used  solely  for  the  purpose  of  providing  fuel  for  the 
needy  of  said  Waterbury,  and  in  case  it  shall  not  all  he  needed  for  the  purpose, 
for  the  purpose  of  giving  aid  in  the  payment  of  rent  for  such  of  the  needy  of 
said  Waterburv,  without  regard  to  nationality  or  religious  creed,  as  the  executive 
officers  of  said  school  may  designate." 

To  the  Mattatuck  Historical  Society  he  gave  $90,000  of  which  $40,000  was 
to  be  used  for  site  and  building  and  the  income  of  the  remainder  to  aid  in  defray- 
ing the  general  purposes  of  the  society. 


284  WATERBURY  AXD  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

He  bequeathed  $50,000  to  the  City  of  Waterbury,  the  income  to  be  used  "for 
the  purpose  of  purchasing  equipment  and  supplies  for  and  otherwise  maintaining 
a  manual  training  school  or  instruction  in  manual  training  in  any  of  the  public 
schools  of  said  City  of  Waterbury." 

His  executors,  Edwin  S.  Hunt  and  John  R.  Clayton,  were  empowered  to 
erect  "on  the  westerly  end  of  the  Public  Square  or  Green,  in  Waterbury,  a  statue 
to  Benjamin  Franklin,  with  such  necessary  surroundings,  railings  and  pavement 
as  to  them,  my  executors,  shall  seem  wise  and  proper,  and  to  expend  for  the 
purpose  a  sum  not  to  exceed  fifteen  thousand  dollars  ($15,000)." 

To  the  First  Congregational  Society  of  Waterbury  he  left  $5,000. 

To  the  Boys'  Club  of  Waterbury,  $2,500. 

To  the  Waterbury  Institute  of  Crafts  and  Industry,  $3,000. 

To  the  Day  Nursery  of  Waterbury,  $3,coo. 

To  the  Riverside  Cemetery  Association,  $5,000. 

To  the  Southmayd  Home  for  Old  Ladies,  $20,000. 

To  the  Silas  Bronson  Library,  $10,000. 

For  the  improvement  and  maintenance  of  Chase  Park,  $5,000. 

To  the  Connecticut  Children's  Aid  Society  of  Newington,  Conn.,  $3,000. 

To  the  Mount  Carmel,  Conn.,  Children's  Iiome,  $3,000. 

To  St.  Mary's  Hospital,  Waterbury,  $5,000. 

He  finally  bequeathed  "the  rest,  residue  and  remainder  of  my  estate,  real  and 
personal,  wheresoever  situated,  in  equal  shares,  one  share  to  The  Colonial  Trust 
Company  as  aforesaid  in  trust  for  the  City  of  Waterbury  for  the  purposes  and 
on  the  terms  and  conditions  mentioned  in  Article  Twenty-Ninth  of  this  will 
(manual  training  school),  one  share  to  said  Southmayd  Home,  one  share  to  said 
Waterbury  Hospital,  one  share  to  said  Waterbury  Industrial  School,  and  one 
share  to  said  Mattatuck  Historical  Society." 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

CLUBS  AND  ASSOCIATIONS,  BUSINESS,  SOCIAL.   PROFESSIONAL 

AND  PATRIOTIC 

THE   WATERBURY    CHAMBER    OF    COMMERCE ITS    BEGINNING    AS    THE    MERCHANTS' 

ASSOCIATION THE  WATERBURY   CLUB ITS   NEW   HOME THE   COUNTRY   CLUB 

WATERBURY     DRIVING     ASSOCIATION AUTOMOBILE     CLUB NATURALIST     CLUB 

THE      ELKS      CLUB OTHER      SOCIAL      CLUBS PROFESSIONAL      ORGANIZATIONS 

WOMEN'S  CLUBS  AND  SOCIETIES — ATHLETIC  AND  SPORTING  ORGANIZATIONS THE 

G.     A.     R.    AND    W.    R.    C. WATERBURY's    REPRESENTATION    IN    STATE    PATRIOTIC 

SOCIETIES SARSFIELD  CLUB. 

The  Waterbury  Chamber  of  Commerce,  which  is  just  now  learning  to  walk 
as  a  commercial  and  civic  organization  with  a  permanent  headquarters  and  per- 
manent secretary,  is  the  outgrowth  of  a  series  of  associations  of  business  men, 
dating  back  to  the  commercial  beginnings  of  the  city.  As  a  chamber  of  commerce 
it  is  only  four  years  old  and  until  February  26,  191 7,  had  no  permanent  office. 

In  May,  1897,  Waterbury  merchants  took  steps  to  organize  an  association. 
On  Thursday,  May  20,  1897,  in  the  former  Congress  Hall,  in  the  Moriarty  Block, 
the  first  meeting  of  the  Waterbury  Merchants'  Association  was  called  to  order 
with  John  B.  Mullings  as  temporary  chairman.  The  experience  of  the  New 
Haven  Retail  Merchants'  Association  inspired  this  movement  and  the  meeting 
was  addressed  by  Messrs.  Howe,  Hunn,  Hart,  Johnson  and  O'Connor  of  New 
Haven,  with  such  effect  that  the  meeting  immediately  proceeded  to  effect  per- 
manent organization.  . 

The  records  of  the  association  show  that  the  first  officers  were  John  B. 
Mullings,  president;  John  Moriarty,  first  vice  president;  Thomas  D.  Barlow, 
second  vice  president;  Charles  E.  Hall,  secretary;  Edward  Fitzgerald,  treasurer. 
The  first  directors  were,  L.  F.  Haase,  Isadore  Chase,  J.  G.  Cutler,  W.  A.  Guilfoile, 
F.  G.  Humphrey,  Jacob  Kaiser,  Thomas  H.  Hewitt,  C.  F.  Trott,  W.  D.  Upson, 
Chas.  Boylan. 

The  charter  members  of  this  association  were  the  following : 

The  Upson  &  Singleton  Company,  clothiers;  Apothecaries  Hall  Company; 
C.  R.  Russell,  agricultural  implements;  C.  A.  Bailey,  meat  and  groceries;  Spen- 
cer &  Pierpont,  groceries ;  Frank  Miller  &  Company,  coal  dealers ;  Fred  E.  Gill- 
mor,  clothier  and  hatter ;  Woodford  &  Allen,  boots  and  shoes;  A.  F.  Taylor,  house 
painter;  Waterbury  Grocery  Company;  W.  Easton  Smith,  crockery;  Geo.  W. 
Minor,  plumber;  C  G.  Belden,  tailor;  Alfred  A.  Adt,  photographer;  S.  M.  Kern, 
hatter  and  furnisher;  Boston  Furniture  Company;  Turnbull  &  Company,  dry 
goods;  Curran's,  dry  goods;  Geo.  Harrington,  cigar  manufacturer;  N.  S.  Snow, 
fish  market;  T.  P.  Hutchinson,  shoe  store;  E.  W.  Hale,  news  dealer  and  stationer; 
W.  H.  Lowe,  real  estate;  Martin  Bergen,  stationer  and  undertaker;  Waterbury 
Blank  Book  Company;  Maier  Kaiser,  clothier;  Reid  &  Llughes,  dry  goods;  Con- 
Ion  Bros.,  dry  goods  ;  Jas.  Coughlin,  meat  market ;  Trott  Baking  Company,  bakery  ; 
Connecticut  Boot  and  Shoe  Company ;  LI.  G.  Dodge  &  Company,  boots  and  shoes*; 

285 


286  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

The  L.  F.  Haase  Company,  interior  decorators ;  Chas.  Ochsner,  meat  market ; 
C.  H.  Hart,  real  estate;  The  H.  W.  Keeler  Company,  plumbers;  John  Moriarty, 
furniture ;  J.  G.  Twining,  furniture ;  John  J.  Geraghty,  boots  and  shoes ;  Lake  & 
Strobel,  jewelers;  City  Lumber  &  Coal  Company;  Jones,  Morgan  &  Company, 
clothiers;  John  McElligott,  coal  and  wood;  The  Barlow  Bros.  Company,  plumb- 
ers and  gas  fitters ;  The  Driggs  &  Smith  Company,  pianos ;  The  Upson  Jewelry 
Company;  E.  J.  Finn,  boots  and  shoes;  Lucy  &  Fitzgerald,  shoe  dealers;  E.  G. 
Kilduff,  clothier ;  Henry  Schwartz,  for  the  Rochester  Clothing  Company ;  W.  A. 
Guilfoile,  meat  market;  Isadore  Chase,  millinery;  Wm.  Riether,  meat  market; 
J.  G.  Cutler  Company,  harnessmakers ;  Chas.  Boylan,  York  State  Butter  Com- 
pany ;  Simon  Bohl,  meat  market ;  John  C.  Latus,  confectionery  and  news  depot ; 
The  Miller  &  Peck  Company,  dry  goods;  J.  B.  Mullings,  clothiers;  The  Hewitt 
Grocery  Company,  grocers;  M.  J.  Byrne,  lawyer;  A.  W.  Castle,  meat  market; 
J.  H.  Devereaux  &  Company,  news  dealers ;  Waterbury  Boot  &  Shoe  Company ; 
P.  J.  Bolan,  hardware;  Wm.  W.  Jones,  boots  and  shoes;  H.  B.  Sanderson,  meat 
market;  W.  J.  Cassidy,  grocer;  Bauby  Bros.,  fruit  dealers;  Martin  J.  Fahy, 
plumber ;  The  Chas.  Thatcher  Company,  plumbers ;  A.  F.  Cowles,  millinery ; 
Thomas  F.  Casey  &  Company,  druggists ;  John  B.  Ebbs,  druggist ;  The  D.  B. 
Wilson  Company,  hardware ;  C.  Siebert,  manager  Singer  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany; J.  F.  Phelan,  tea  store;  W.  N.  Ladd,  groceries;  S.  A.  Kingman,  furniture; 
The  Bonner  Preston  Company;  William  H.  Hall,  tailor;  Wright  &  Weible,  tea 
store ;  E.  F.  Piatt,  groceries. 

One  of  the  first  campaigns  of  the  association  was  in  the  direction  of  uniform 
procedure  in  regard  to  opening  and  closing  of  stores,  in  addition  to  such  prob- 
lems as  street  lighting,  credit  ratings  for  use  of  merchants  only  and  store  lighting. 

Meetings  of  the  association  were  held  in  different  places,  one  of  the  most 
popular  meeting  places  being  the  office  of  Atty.  M.  J.  Byrne.  In  1899  the  records 
show  that  the  association  was  interesting  itself  in  parcel  post,  food  exhibits, 
merchants'  carnivals,  collection  of  bad  debts,  and  occasionally  in  important 
municipal  problems. 

In  1S99  the  membership  of  the  association  was  108.  In  that  year  the  State 
Association  of  Business  Men  was  formed  and  Waterbury  was  represented  at 
the  first  meeting  by  John  B.  Mullings.  The  committees  appointed  in  1899  had 
the  following  titles :  Executive  and  legislative,  arbitration  and  complaints,  trans- 
portation and  insurance,  debts  and  debtors,  telegraph,  telephone  and  postal  facili- 
ties, lighting  and  water  facilities,  house  accounts,  clothing,  organization. 

Early  in  its  career  the  Merchants'  Association  took  up  the  problem  of  trading 
stamps  which  was  finally  disposed  of  by  the  state.  Other  questions  agitated  were 
extension  of  trolley  facilities,  lower  rates  for  telephone  service,  improvement  of 
telephone  service,  and  improvement  of  railroad  service.  The  association  also 
seems  to  have  accomplished  some  results  in  the  direction  of  improved  mail  service. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  11,  1902,  it  was  voted  to  change  the  name 
of  the  Waterbury  Merchants'  Association  to  that  of  the  Waterbury  Business 
Men's  Association.  The  annual  dues  were  kept  at  the  same  figure,  $5.00  per  year, 
and  Warren  L.  Flail  was  chosen  its  first  president.  The  character  of  the  associa- 
tion was  much  the  same  as  under  the  old  name,  but  the  records  show  that  the 
activities  of  the  association  were  broadening  gradually.  In  February,  1902,  the 
association  put  itself  on  record  in  favor  of  securing  a  Government  building  for 
Waterbury,  a  step  which  was  completed  when  the  city  had  its  present  Federal 
Building  in  which  the  postoffice  is  located,  erected  on  Grand  Street.  It  was  in 
1902  also  that  the  Waterbury  Business  Men's  Association  first  took  steps  to  urge 
upon  the  railroad  company  the  necessity  for  the  erection  of  a  Union  Station  in 
Waterbury. 


PES 

ID 


P 

a 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  287 

During  the  period  between  the  change  from  the  Waterbury  Merchants'  Asso- 
ciation to  the  Waterbury  Business  .Men's  Association,  there  was  an  undercurrent 
in  favor  of  broadening  the  sphere  and  work  of  the  association,  but  the  member- 
ship was  still  confined  to  100  merchants  and  a  few  professional  men,  and  most 
of  its  activities  were  therefore  along  lines  of  interest  only  to  its  members. 

With  a  larger  number  of  professional  men  in  the  ranks  and  a  few  manufac- 
turing concerns,  there  was  a  sincere  desire  to  shape  the  affairs  of  the  organization 
for  the  benefit  of  the  community  as  a  trading  center.  Thus  the  extension  of  the 
trolley  system,  the  improvement  of  state  roads  and  municipal  needs  were  topics 
of  discussion  at  meetings.  Legislative  enactments  which  were  designed  to  im- 
prove or  to  impair  Waterbury  as  a  business  and  residential  community  were 
carefully  considered  and  efforts  made  to  demonstrate  the  true  state  of  public 
sentiment  by  trips  to  the  state  capitol  at  Hartford  during  sessions  of  the  General 
Assembly.  These  undertakings  were  always  led  by  the  Business  Men's  Associa- 
tion and  were  more  or  less  effective. 

In  Tanuary,  1913,  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Waterbury  Business  Men's 
Association  the  following  officers  were  elected: 

President,  Charles  A.  Colley;  first  vice  president,  A.  K.  Chattaway ;  second 
vice  president,  Charles  E.  Puffer;  directors,  William  E.  Fulton,  Almon  C.  Judd, 
John  C.  Sherwood,  Frederick  S.  Chase,  Dr.  Frank  J.  Erbe,  Charles  L.  Campbell, 
William  J.  Larkin,  Earl  R.  Hudson,  C.  H.  Preston,  Jr.,  A.  S.  Lyall,  W.  F.  Harper, 
Harry  C.  Post,  C.  S.  Redmond,  James  W.  Galavin,  Harry  A.  Lennon,  Archie  T. 
Jones,  Robert  P.  Lewis;  secretary.  Miles  F.  McXiff ;  treasurer,  Samuel  A.  Chase; 
auditors,  William  J.  Pape,  Harris  W.  Langley. 

In  accepting  the  presidency,  Mr.  Colley  announced  that  he  favored  renaming 
the  organization  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  this  was  accordingly  done. 

This  change,  together  with  an  aggressive  personal  campaign  for  membership 
which  Mr.  Colley  began  as  soon  as  he  was  elected,  brought  a  great  change  into 
the  organization.  Within  five  months  the  membership,  which  was  about  two 
hundred  in  January,  19 13,  was  increased  to  about  five  hundred  and  when  the  first 
year  of  Mr.  Colley's  service  as  president  was  concluded  the  membership  was 
about  six  hundred.  This  brought  the  attention  of  the  whole  state  to  the  change 
made  here.  Mr.  Colley  was  for  some  time  one  of  the  directors  of  the  State 
Chamber  of  Commerce  and  did  much  to  keep  the  Waterbury  organization  before 
the  public  eye  as  an  after-dinner  speaker  and  a  progressive  director  of  the  state 
organization. 

There  was  a  demand  here  for  a  new  state  armory  and  also  for  a  normal 
school  and  the  chamber  of  commerce  did  much  to  influence  the  general  assembly 
in  favor  of  them,  but  thus  far  without  avail. 

One  of  the  outstanding  features  of  the  chamber's  activity  under  Mr.  Colley 
was  the  social  prominence  of  the  organization.  Its  banquets  were  notable  events, 
with  celebrated  speakers  among  the  guests.  Its  hospitality  was  extended  to  the 
large  delegation  of  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce  which  made  a  visit  to 
inspect  Waterbury  in  1914,  and  to  a  committee  of  legislators  who  made  a  visit 
to  inspect  the  old  state  armory,  but  who  were  so  well  entertained  that  they  forgot 
all  about  the  wretched  building  they  had  seen  and  forgot  to  find  an  appropriation 
for  a  new  one. 

There  was  a  splendid  municipal  budget  exhibit  made  under  the  auspices  of 
the  chamber  of  commerce,  following  an  extensive  survey  by  the  Bureau  of 
Municipal  Research  of  New  York.  The  chamber  of  commerce  also  handled  the 
celebration  of  Old  Home  Week,  which  took  place  here  Thanksgiving  week,  19 15, 
in  connection  with  the  completion  of  the  new  City  Hall  and  the  dedication  of 
the  clock  on  The  Green. 


288  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Publicity  of  an  aggressive  type  also  was  a  feature  of  the  chamber's  work  in 
the  days  of  Mr.  Colley's  administration.  Handsome  folders  with  views  of  the 
city  were  printed  in  quantities  and  distributed  everywhere,  and,  except  during 
the  summer  months,  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  Bulletin  was  issued  monthly 
with  comments  and  original  articles  on  topics  of  the  hour.  Most  of  these  were 
from  the  pen  of  Mr.  Colley  himself,  but  some  were  contributed. 

With  all  this  there  was  still  much  to  be  desired  and  Mr.  Colley  felt  the  need 
of  a  permanent  headquarters  and  a  secretary  who  would  be  employed  to  give  all 
his  time  to  chamber  activities.  He  insisted  in  1915  that  he  would  not  serve  a 
fourth  term  and  pointed  out  that  the  work  of  the  chamber  was  growing  and 
there  was  need  of  a  secretary  who  could  give  it  all  his  attention.  He  was  pre- 
vailed upon  to  run  again  and  was  elected  president  in  19 16,  even  after  he  declared 
that  he  would  have  to  be  paid  a  salary  of  $1,200  if  he  should  hold  the  office 
another  year. 

In  recognition  also  of  the  extra  work  of  the  secretary,  Miles  F.  McNiff,  a 
young  attorney,  who  also  was  re-elected,  was  given  a  larger  salary,  so  that  the 
chamber's  payroll  jumped  from  $300  a  year  to  $1,800  per  year. 

At  the  end  of  that  year  the  salary  of  the  president  was  discontinued,  and  the 
nominating  committee  brought  in  a  recommendation  that  a  permanent  secretary 
be  employed.  The  officers  and  directors  elected  in  January,  1917,  are  named 
below : 

President,  Nathaniel  R.  Bronson ;  vice  presidents,  Charles  E.  Puffer,  and 
Alexander  S.  Lyall ;  treasurer,  Samuel  A.  Chase;  directors,  Edward  W.  Beach, 
John  M.  Burrall,  Frederick  S.  Chase,  Charles  A.  Colley,  Darragh  DeLancey, 
Dr.  F.  J.  Erbe,  James  W.  Galavin,  Atty.  Frank  P.  Guilfoile,  William  T.  Larkin, 
Martin* J.  McEvoy,  Atty.  Miles  F.  McNiff,  Harry  C.  Post,  John  C.  Sherwood, 
Charles  A.  Templeton,  Cornelius  Tracy. 

T.  F.  Barry,  former  managing  editor  of  the  Waterbury  Republican,  was 
elected  secretary  of  the  chamber  of  commerce  and  the  chamber  opened  head- 
quarters February  26th,  at  108  Bank  Street. 

From  the  beginning  of  this  period  the  chamber  has  been  more  active  and 
more  interested  in  all  local  activities.  During  the  year  191 7  it  assisted  in  all 
undertakings  of  a  community  nature  incident  to  the  war.  Two  Red  Cross 
membership  campaigns,  food  conservation  movements,  Liberty  Loan  campaigns, 
recruiting  campaigns  for  the  army,  navy,  officers'  training  camps  and  co-operation 
with  the  local  exemption  boards  and  the  draftees  of  the  city  and  surrounding 
territory  are  outstanding  features  of  its  war  work  program. 

Its  officers  have  been  re-elected  for  service  in  19 18  and  while  its  activities  of 
this  year  have  depleted  its  treasury,  with  the  exception  of  a  reserve  fund  of 
$4,000  judiciously  set  aside  during  President  Colley's  administration,  it  is  facing 
the  future  with  hope  of  opportunities  for  greater  service  to  the  community  and 
anticipation  of  generous  and  stanch  support  while  it  continues  to  give  service. 

THE    WATERRURY    CLUR 

The  Waterbury  Club  was  organized  September  20,  1881,  with  thirty  members. 
Its  first  president  was  Augustus  S.  Chase,  with  D.  S.  Plume  and  Charles  Dickin- 
son as  vice  presidents,  Mark  L.  Sperry  as  secretary,  and  F.  L.  Curtiss  as  treasurer. 
In  July,  1894,  the  club  moved  from  small  quarters  in  the  Waterbury  Bank 
Building,  which  had  been  taken  in  1899,  to  the  large  house  on  North  Main  Street 
built  by  Dr.  Alfred  North.  In  1916,  when  the  new  building  on  West  Main  Street 
was  planned,  the  old  club  house  was  sold  to  the  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles,  who 
at  once  took  possession,  the  club  moving  to  the  top  floor  of  the  Elton. 


THE  COUNTRY  CLUB,  WATERBLTRY 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  289 

The  new  club  house,  of  which  the  architect  is  Cass  Gilbert  of  New  York,  is 
in  the  Colonial  style  of  architecture. 

It  has  a  length  of  135  feet  on  Central  Avenue  and  a  frontage  of  68  feet  on 
West  Main  Street.  It  is  three  stories  in  height  and  of  brick  construction,  the 
interior  to  be  finished  largely  in  oak. 

In  the  basement  there  will  be  three  bowling  alleys,  with  a  large  squash  court 
on  the  West  Main  Street  front.  The  gymnasium,  which  occupies  the  rear  of 
the  building  for  its  full  width,  takes  up  the  remainder  of  the  basement  and  part 
of  the  first  floor  and  will  be  one  of  the  finest  athletic  rooms  in  the  state. 

On  the  main  floor  the  entire  West  Main  Street  front  will  be  occupied  by  a 
sumptuously  furnished  lounging  room.  At  the  rear  of  this,  with  a  lobby  entrance, 
will  be  the  cafe  on  one  side  and  the  billiard  room  on  the  other.  The  rear  of  this 
floor  is  the  upper  part  of  the  gymnasium. 

On  the  second  floor  the  club  dining-room  will  front  on  West  Main  Street. 
Behind  this  are  to  be  the  kitchen  and  card  rooms  on  the  Central  Avenue  side. 
Over  the  gymnasium  there  will  be  a  finely-equipped  ladies'  dining-room  and 
ladies'  lounging  room.     The  library  is  to  be  close  to  this. 

On  the  third  floor  the  Home  Club  will  have  its  bachelor  quarters.  The  entire 
West  Main  Street  front  is  to  be  a  lounging  room.  There  are  to  be  eighteen 
apartments  for  club  members,  with  a  balcony  extending  along  the  Central  Avenue 
side  and  another  on  the  opposite  side.  Servants'  quarters  are  provided  for  on 
the  fourth  floor. 

It  is  believed  the  club  house  will  be  ready  for  occupancy  by  the  late  spring 
of  1918. 

The  Club  Site  Committee,  which  is  in  general  charge  of  the  construction  work, 
consists  of  Arthur  R.  Kimball,  George  A.  Driggs,  George  Rockwell,  F.  S.  Chase, 
Edwin  C.  Northrop,  and  Charles  E.  Spencer,  Jr. 

The  present  officers  are :  President,  Charles  E.  Spencer,  Jr. ;  secretary,  Lewis 
M.  Hart;  treasurer,  Edwin  C.  Northrop. 

The  presidents  of  the  Waterbury  Club  have  been  as  follows,  with  year  of 
election : 

August  S.  Chase,  1881 ;  James  S.  Elton,  1892;  Mark  L.  Sperry,  1894;  Fred- 
erick B.  Rice,  1898;  George  L.  White,  1899;  Arthur  O.  Jennings,  1901 ;  Lewis 
A.  Piatt,  1902;  Charles  S.  Rodman,  1904;  Robert  F.  Griggs,  1905;  Lewis  A. 
Piatt,  1907;  C.  M.  Clark,  1910;  A.  R.  Kimball,  1912 ;  Charles  E.  Spencer,  Jr.,  1915. 

THE    COUNTRY    CLUB    OF    WATERBURY 

The  Country  Club  of  Waterbury  was  the  immediate  successor  of  the  Water- 
bury  Golf  Association,  which  had  a  small  clubhouse  and  a  nine-hole  golf  course 
on  the  golf  lots  on  West  Main  Street,  following  the  east  shore  of  the  Naugatuck 
River  northwards.  It  was  in  existence  from  1898  until  succeeded  by  the  new 
organization.  The  last  officials  of  the  Golf  Association  were :  Frederick  J. 
Brown,  president;  Howard  S.  White,  secretary;  I.  P.  Kellogg,  treasurer.  The 
Waterbury  Country  Club,  formed  in  1907,  was  incorporated  in  1908.  Its  first 
officials  were:  President,  George  L.  White;  secretary,  Frederick  J.  Brown; 
treasurer,  William  B.  Merriman. 

The  grounds,  183  acres,  on  what  is  now  known  as  the  Country  Club  Road, 
on  the  outskirts  of  Middlebury,  were  in  1908  laid  out  for  golf  and  tennis,  and  a 
beautiful  clubhouse  erected.  In  191 7  two  additional  tennis  courts  were  laid  out, 
making  six  in  all  now  open  for  use  by  members. 

Vol.  1— in 


290  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

The  present  officers  are:  W.  W.  Holmes,  president;  S.  P.  Williams,  secre- 
tary; Roberts  G.  Hannegan,  treasurer. 

Former  President  Wm.  H.  Taft  is  an  honorary  member. 

THE  WATERBURY  DRIVING  ASSOCIATION 

The  Waterbury  Driving  Association  was  organized  in  1889,  as  tne  Waterbury 
Driving  Company,  leasing  the  grounds  on  the  Watertown  Road  and  laying  out 
the  present  driving  park.  The  association  has  held  no  races  during  recent  years, 
although  sub-letting  to  others  who  have  given  meets.  The  present  officers  are : 
President,  Thomas  Bland :  secretary,  Henry  W.  Minor ;  treasurer,  Frank  Hayes. 

THE  WATERBURY   AUTOMOBILE  CLUB 

The  Waterbury  Automobile  Club,  organized  through  the  efforts  of  Almon  C. 
Judd,  February  20,  1909,  was  active  for  some  years  in  the  work  of  protecting  the 
interests  of  automobile  owners.  It  has  done  but  little  along  these  lines  during 
the  past  two  years. 

Its  present  officers  are:     President,  W.  W.  Holmes;  treasurer,  H.  S.  Seeley. 

THE    NATURALIST    CLUB 

The  Naturalist  Club  of  Waterbury  was  organized  in  June,  1895,  through  the 
efforts  of  H.  F.  Bassett,  then  librarian  of  the  Bronson  Library.  It  has  held  its 
meetings  on  the  second  and  fourth  Mondays  of  each  month  regularly  throughout 
each  winter  since  that  time,  following  the  club  motto,  "Observe  and  Remember." 
Its  meetings  have  always  been  held  in  the  parlors  of  the  Second  Church.  On 
June  22,  191 5,  the  club  celebrated  its  twentieth  anniversary  with  a  banquet. 

The  present  officers  are :  President,  Richard  C.  Allen ;  vice  president,  Miss 
Enuma  L.  Bailey;  recording  secretary,  Mrs.  Elsie  Camp  Martin;  corresponding 
secretary,  Miss  Anna  H.  Pierpont;  treasurer,  Miss  M.  Louise  Seymour. 

THE    NOSAHOGAN    PISCATORIAL    ASSOCIATION 

The  Nosahogan  Piscatorial  Association  is  a  club  formed  by  members  of 
Nosahogan  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows.  It  was  established  as  a  fishing  club  in  1890, 
but  is  now  a  social  club  with  rooms  in  the  Odd  Fellows  Temple.  Its  present 
officers  are:  President,  George  M.  Egan;  secretary  and  treasurer,  Frederick 
W.  Tate. 

THE  ABAGADASSET  CLUB 

The  Abagadasset  Club  was  first  chartered  December  15,  1902,  and  when  the 
Mullings  Building  was  completed  in  1903  special  club  rooms  were  provided  for 
the  organization.  The  founders  were  George  G.  Mullings,  George  W.  Camp, 
Frank  T.  Clark,  Wm.  P.  Lamb,  J.  A.  Upson,  J.  Rawson  Hughes,  E.  T.  Crooker, 
Dr.  W.  O.  Beecher  and  J.  H.  Gray.  It  was  purely  a  social  organization.  Its 
officers  in  1914  when  it  decided  to  dissolve  were :  President,  Archie  T.  Jones ; 
secretary,  Arthur  F.  McGraw;  treasurer,  George  W.  Greene.  It  took  its  name 
from  the  Indian  word  which  meant  a  place  of  shelter,  and  is  mentioned  in  the 
historial  works  of  Waterbury. 


AN  INTERIOR  VIEW  OF  THE  ELKS'  CLUB.  WATERBURY 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  291 

111  I.    ELKS    CLUB 

The  comfortably  arranged  and  beautifully  appointed  Elks'  I  Ionic  is  located  on 
West  Main  Strict,  the  dedication  of  the  new  building  taking  place  in  1910.  The 
exercises  were  attended  by  a  notable  gathering  of  Elks  from  all  over  the  country. 
The  club  and  lodge  at  first  occupied  a  suite  of  rooms  at  108  Hank  Street,  where 
its  affairs  were  held  until  its  effects  there  were  destroyed  in  the  great  conflagration 
of  10,02.  For  three  years  it  had  its  rooms  in  the  Waterbury  Trust  Company  Build- 
ing but  in  [909  its  members  raised  funds  to  purchase  the  Curtiss  Home  on  West 
.Main  Street  and  the  following  year  it  erected  a  handsome  building  hack  of  the 
old  residence.  In  1914  Truman  S.  Lewis  offered  the  club  Si 6,000  for  the  complete 
interior  renovating  of  the  old  building  and  also  its  outfitting.  Upon  the  work 
being  completed  it  was  found  out,  however,  that  the  cost  had  run  up  to  $26,100, 
yet  Mr.  Lewis  insisted  in  making  this  amount  his  donation.  The  arrangements  are 
most  convenient,  including  new  bowling  alleys  and  tennis  courts  among  the  attrac- 
tions for  the  entertainment  of  members  and  guests. 

THE  ALGONQUIN  CLUB 

The  Algonquin  Club  was  a  social  organization  with  a  membership  of  twenty, 
having  club  rooms  at  42  liank  Street.  Its  officers,  when  it  was  organized  in 
1908  were  :  President,  Edward  Real ;  secretary,  Alfred  Straub ;  treasurer,  Michael 
J.  Lawlor.  In  1916  its  membership  was  small  and  it  gave  up  its  club  rooms  and 
its  existence. 

PROFESSIONAL  ORGANIZATIONS 

WATERBURY  BAR  ASSOCIATION 

The  Waterbury  Bar  Association  is  not  a  continuing  organization  with  by-laws 
and  regular  elections,  but  is  in  existence  for  emergency  purposes  only.  When- 
ever action  by  the  Waterbury  bar  is  necessary,  the  dean  of  the  profession,  who  at 
this  time  is  Judge  Edward  F.  Cole,  calls  a  meeting  and  at  this  a  secretary  is 
elected  who  holds  that  office  for  the  next  meeting.  At  present  the  acting  secretary 
is  Lawrence  L.  Lewis. 

WATERBURY  MEDICAL  ASSOCIATION 

The  Waterbury  Medical  Association  was  organized  February  5,  1857,  and 
although  it  did  much  during  its  earlier  existence  to  preserve  the  ethics  of  the 
profession,  it  was  not  until  March  20,  1908,  that  it  was  incorporated  with  this 
as  its  specific  object,  "to  establish  and  maintain  the  practice  of  medicine  and 
surgery  in  this  city  upon  a  respectable  footing." 

It  has  done  much  in  the  way  of  mutual  improvement  and  in  the  establish- 
ment of  harmonious  relations  between  members. 

Its  membership  on  December  1,  191 7,  is  sixty-three. 

Its  present  officers  are :  President,  Dr.  P.  T.  O'Connor ;  vice  president,  Dr. 
Edward  L.  Smith;  secretary,  Dr.  Edward  A.  Hcrr;  treasurer,  Dr.  Charles  S. 
Rodman. 

THE  WATERBURY  DENTAL   ASSOCIATION 

The  Waterbury  Dental  Association  was  organized  as  a  purely  professional 
body  on  May  16,  1905,  and  has  now  twenty-eight  active  members  on  its  list.  At 
present  its  officers  are:     President,  Dr.  William  C.   Spain;  vice  president,  Dr. 


292  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

William  D.  Greenberg.  Both  the  secretary,  Dr.  Frederick  C.  Daniels,  and  the 
treasurer,  Dr.  Maurice  D.  Berman,  have  volunteered  for  professional  work  in 
the  army. 

THE  CELTIC   MEDICAL  SOCIETY 

In  1906  twenty  physicians  of  Waterbury  formed  the  Celtic  Medical  Society. 
It  had  but  one  purpose,  the  establishment  of  a  second  hospital  in  the  city.  The 
society  began  at  once  to  gather  data  and  to  present  facts  to  prominent  citizens, 
interesting  especially  Monsignor  Slocum,  who  then  became  the  mainstay  of  the 
projected  St.  Mary's  Hospital.  Its  officers  were:  President,  Dr.  E.  W.  Mc- 
Donald; vice  president,  Dr.  B.  A.  O'Hara;  secretary,  Dr.  John  D.  Freney; 
treasurer,*  Dr.  J.  F.  Hayes. 

In  1909,  when  St.  Mary's  Hospital  was  dedicated,  the  Celtic  Medical  Society 
ceased  to  exist. 

WOMEN'S  CLUBS  AND  ASSOCIATIONS 

THE  WATERBURY  WOMEN'S  CLUB 

The  Waterbury  Women's  Club  was  organized  in  April,  1898,  through  the 
efforts  and  the  inspiration  of  Mrs.  George  S.  Abbott. 

The  first  officers  of  the  club  were :  Corinne  R.  Morrow,  president ;  Elizabeth 
O.  R.  Abbott,  corresponding  secretary ;  Harriet  E.  Meers,  recording  secretary ; 
Harriet  Elton  Stevens,  treasurer ;  and  Jennie  A.  Upson,  auditor.  The  first 
regular  meeting  of  the  club  was  held  in  the  parlors  of  the  first  Congregational 
Church.  At  the  close  of  the  fourth  year  the  club  membership  had  increased 
from  45  to  135,  and  in  1891  it  was  united  with  the  General  Federation  of  Women's 
clubs,  uniting  with  the  State  Federation  in  1897.     It  was  incorporated  in  191 5. 

The  present  membership  is  350,  with  a  waiting  list.  Meetings  are  held  twice 
monthly,  from  the  first  Tuesday  in  October,  until  the  last  Tuesday  in  April. 
The  object  of  the  club  is  to  promote  the  intellectual  and  social  culture  of  its 
members  and  its  line  of  work  includes  the  study  of  ethics,  art  and  literature, 
education  and  science.    Each  year  an  excellent  course  of  lectures  is  given. 

Many  interesting  papers  were  read  at  the  meetings  by  members  of  the  club. 
Among  the  purely  social  events  of  the  club  are  the  opening  reception,  which  is 
called  the  club  tea,  the  first  Tuesday  in  October;  the  midwinter  tea  in  January, 
and  the  annual  reception  in  April. 

The  present  officers  of  the  club  are :  President,  Mrs.  Adrian  L.  Mulloy ; 
recording  secretary,  Mrs.  John  L.  Geist ;  corresponding  secretary,  Mrs.  Clarendon 
Nickerson;  treasurer,  Mrs.  Benjamin  Chatfield. 

The  following  have  been  the  presidents  of  the  Waterbury  Women's  Club 
since  its  organization:  1889-1890,  Mrs.  J.  Henry  Morrow;  1890-1892,  Mrs. 
Daniel  F.  Webster;  1892-1894,  Mrs.  Edward  L.  Frisbie;  1894-1896,  Mrs.  Gilman 
C.  Hill;  1896-1898,  Mrs.  Sumner  A.  Kingman;  1898-1899,  Mrs.  Isaac  N.  Russell; 
1899-1901.  Mrs.  Jay  H.  Hart;  1901-1903,  Mrs.  David  B.  Hamilton;  1903-1905, 
Mrs.  Otis  S.  Northrop;  1905-1907,  Mrs.  Wm.  H.  Phipps;  1907-1909,  Mrs.  Wm. 
F.  Chatfield  ;  1909-1910,  Mrs.  Ellis  Phelan ;  1910-1912,  Mrs.  Frederick  D.  Buckley; 
1912-1914,  Mrs.  Frederick  M.  Peasley;  1914-1916,  Mrs.  Augustin  A.  Crane; 
1916-1918,  Mrs.  Adrian  L.  Mulloy. 

DAUGHTERS   OF   THE   AMERICAN   REVOLUTION 

Melicent  Porter  Chapter,  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution  was  founded 
January  2y,  1893.  by  Mrs.  S.  W.  Kellogg  and  now  numbers  forty  members.     In 


\\  ATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  293 

Bronson  Library  is  a  bronze  tablet  erected  by  this  chapter,  in  memory  of  the 
men  from  this  town  who  fought  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  The  chapter  also 
put  a  tablet  in  the  old  Porter  Home  in  Union  City.  It  aided  in  the  erection  of 
the  Scott  monument  at  Watertown,  and  in  the  placing  of  the  historic  boulder 
on  Andrews  Hill  in  Naugatuck.  On  its  roster  are  the  names  of  many  of  Water- 
bury's  most  distinguished  residents. 

On  November  8,  191 2,  the  nineteenth  general  meeting  of  the  Connecticut 
Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution  met  with  the  Melicent  Porter  Chapter 
at  the  First  Congregational  Church.  The  address  of  the  day  was  by  the  Rev. 
Samuel  Hart,  president  of  the  State  Historical  Society. 

The  past  chapter  regents  of  Melicent  Porter  Chapter  are :  Mrs.  Stephen  W. 
Kellogg,  1893-1898;  Mrs.  Henry  C.  Griggs,  1898-1900;  Miss  Susie  Hill,  1900-1901 ; 
Mrs.  Otis  S.  Northrop,  [901-1903;  Mrs.  John  S.  Castle,  1903-1905;  Mrs.  D.  F. 
Webster,  1905-1906;  Mrs.  Edward  W.  Shannon,  1906-1908;  Mrs.  B.  H.  Bristol, 
1908-1910;  Mrs.  Edward  Shannon,  1910-1915;  Mrs.  R.  Wm.  Hampson,  1915-1917. 

Its  present  officers  are:  Honorary  regent,  Mrs.  Emily  A.  Shannon;  regent, 
Mrs.  R.  William  Hampson;  registrar,  Katherine  D.  Hamilton;  treasurer,  Almira 
C.  Twining;  recording  secretary,  Mrs.  E.  Sidney  Bronson;  corresponding  sec- 
retary, Mrs.  J.  B.  Jones;  historian,  Mrs.  C.  B.  Everitt ;  curator,  Mrs.  Cornelius 
Tracy. 

catholic  women's  benevolent  legion 

The  Catholic  Women's  Benevolent  Legion,  Rev.  Lawrence  Walsh  branch, 
was  organized  in  1907  by  Mrs.  RafTerty  of  Worcester,  Mass.  The  object  of  the 
legion  is  principally  benevolence. 

The  present  officers  are  :  President,  K.  E.  Conway ;  secretary,  E.  G.  Guilf oile  ; 
collector,  Mrs.  J.  H.  Turley;  treasurer,  Jennie  Bergin. 

THE   MOTHERS'   CLUB 

The  W'aterville  Mothers'  Club  was  organized  April  1,  1904,  meeting  on  the 
first  Thursday  of  each  month  at  Sprague  School.  Its  first  officers  were:  Presi- 
dent, Mrs.  Alfred  L.  Emmons;  secretary,  Mrs.  J.  S.  Holroyd.  It  has  developed 
into  an  exceedingly  valuable  organization  giving  teachers  an  opportunity  to  discuss 
many  essential  school  needs  direct  with  the  mothers  of  the  pupils.  In  1916  the 
title  was  changed  to  the  Waterville  Child  Welfare  Association.  Its  officers  are : 
President,  Mrs.  Geo.  Monroe;  secretary,  Mrs.  Fred  Wolf;  treasurer.  Mrs.  W. 
Harper. 

ATHLETIC  AND  SPORTING  ORGANIZATIONS 

THE    RECREATION    ROD   AND   GUN    CLUB 

The  Recreation  Rod  and  Gun  Club  was  organized  in  1912,  and  leased  the 
large  ten-room  house  belonging  to  the  T.  H.  Hayes  estate  and  located  on  the 
Pearl  Lake  Road  near  Piedmont.  Its  first  officers  were :  President,  B.  A.  Wilmot ; 
secretary,  W.  G.  Donovan ;  treasurer,  G.  F.  O'Neill.  It  now  has  a  membership 
of  ninety-two.  Its  present  officers  are :  President,  George  H.  Wheeler ;  secretary, 
William  G.  Donovan ;  financial  secretary,  William  H.  Muus ;  treasurer,  George 
F.  O'Neill. 

The  members  enjoy  both  the  hunting  and  fishing  which  is  plentiful  during 
seasons.     Its  club  evenings  are  held  on  the  second  Friday  of  each  month. 


294      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

THE   BROOKLYN    ATHLETIC   CLUB 

The  Brooklyn  Athletic  Club,  founded  in  1889,  was  in  1894  a  flourishing  organ- 
ization with  many  of  its  athletic  activities  in  full  swing.  Its  officers  in  that  year 
were :  President,  John  M.  Barrett ;  vice  president,  James  W.  Dawson ;  recording 
secretary,  Thomas  F.  Mitchell ;  financial  secretary,  James  Powers ;  treasurer, 
Patrick  Keough. 

At  that  period  the  club  was  meeting  at  796  Bank  Street.  In  1902  it  moved  to 
its  present  quarters  at  776  Bank  Street.  Its  membership  is  today  125.  Of  these 
forty-one  are  now  in  the  army,  a  service  record  of  which  the  club  is  justly  proud. 
It  has  in  its  parlors  today  twenty-one  silver  trophies  won  by  its  athletic  teams 
since  1901.  In  that  year  they  took  second  prize  in  the  City  Amateur  Baseball 
League,  winning  first  place  in  1902,  1903,  1904,  1906  and  1909.  In  1913  it  won 
the  mile  relay  at  the  municipal  meet  in  Hamilton  Park  on  Labor  Day  with  this 
team:  John  Hickey,  manager,  J.  Brickley,  H.  Auray,  Z.  Jamelle,  T.  Caldwell. 
It  also  won  the  point  trophy  at  this  meet. 

In  1914  with  W.  Pollard,  manager,  and  G.  Kingston,  J.  Brickley,  Z.  Jamelle, 
and  W.  Roberge,  it  again  won  in  the  team  relay. 

The  point  trophy  was  again  won  in  191 5  at  the  city  meet. 

In  1916  it  finished  first  in  the  city  basket-ball  tournament,  having  finished 
second  in  both  19 14  and  191 5. 

These  are  but  a  few  of  its  athletic  victories. 

Of  the  first  thirty-eight  members  examined  for  the  army  there  was  but  one 
rejected. 

Among  its  honor  members  in  the  United  States  service  are  Captain  William 
J.  Shanahan  and  Sergeant  Edward  Groody. 

Its  officers  now  are :  Thomas  Conway,  president ;  John  Danisevicze,  vice 
president ;  John  Gloven,  recording  secretary ;  Frank  Regan,  financial  secretary ; 
Anthony  Carroll,  treasurer. 

THE  MATTATUCK  ROD  AND  GUN  CLUB 

The  Mattatuck  Rod  and  Gun  Club  was  incorporated  in  1902  although  it  had 
then  been  in  existence  for  some  years  with  a  small  membership  of  ardent  hunters 
and  trap  shooters.  After  its  incorporation  it  leased  ground  on  the  Watertown 
Road  near  the  site  of  the  present  Waterbury  Rolling  Mills  and  built  an  18  by  24 
cottage.  In  1905  it  put  in  two  "western"  traps  and  has  held  annual  turnaments 
until  the  beginning  of  the  war  period.  In  1906  it  organized  its  women's  corps  of 
which  Mrs.  C.  H.  Beere  is  now  captain.  Some  fine  scores  have  been  made  by  the 
women  at  the  traps. 

It  has  now  about  one  hundred  members  and  its  officers  are :  Dr.  C.  H.  Beere, 
president  and  secretary ;  David  R.  Walker,  vice  president ;  Peter  Fitzhenry, 
treasurer;  William  Woods,  financial  secretary;  John  Draher,  field  captain.  The 
club  is  now  looking  about  for  new  grounds  and  will  probably  build  a  model  club 
house  in  191 8. 

THE  WATERBURY  PISTOL  AND  RIFLE  CLUB 

The  Waterbury  Pistol  and  Rifle  Club  was  organized  in  August,  1917,  by  officers 
of  the  Home  Guard  with  a  view  to  perfecting  its  members  in  pistol  and  rifle  shoot- 
ing. Among  its  prominent  organizers  are  Colonel  James  Geddes,  Lieut.  Col. 
A.  F.  Wolff,  Maj.  Wra.  H.  Sandland,  Captains  Thomas  F.  Jackson,  and  R.  L. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  295 

Keaveney,  Joseph  O'Neill,  Henry  Littlejohn,  C.  A.  Templeton,  and  Fred  W. 
Chesson.  It  now  numbers  about  one  hundred  members.  Its  range  is  at  Reynolds 
Bridge,  Thomaston. 

WAD  I  [AM    POST,  G.  A.  R. 

The  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  once  the  largest  military  society  in  the 
United  States,  is  rapidly  dwindling  away.  Waterbury  is  proud  of  Wadham  Post 
No.  49,  G.  A.  R.,  which  was  organized  with  forty  members  on  August  14,  1879, 
by  Department  Commander  Charles  E.  Fowler.  It  took  its  name  from  that  of 
three  Waterbury  brothers  killed  in  action  in  the  Civil  war  within  the  space  of 
sixteen  days.  The  post  did  much  toward  the  erection  of  the  Soldiers'  Monument, 
and  has  never  failed  to  respond  to  every  call  for  patriotic  work.  The  same  may 
be  said  of  the  Wadham  Relief  Corps. 

Its  highest  membership  was  360.  Today  there  are  sixty-two  left  on  the  roll, 
eleven  having  died  in  1916.  Here  is  the  roll  of  Wadham  Post  No.  49,  G.  A.  R., 
on  December  1,  1917: 

Charles  E.  Beeman,  2nd  Conn.  H.  A.,  Co.  H. 

Hopkins  J.  Benham,  2nd  Conn.  H.  A.,  Co.  P. 

James  W.  Benham,  14th  Conn.  Infty.,  Co.  I. 

Edward  Bergen,  Seaman,  Ship  Utah,  Navy. 

Zenas  C.  Bowen,  10th  Vermont  Infty.,  Co.  H. 

Eli  Bronson,  23rd  Conn.  Infty.,  Co.  A. 

Henry  Menold,  9th  Conn.  Infty.,  Co.  F. 

Alex  Buchanan,  20th  N.  Y.  Ind.  Battery. 

John  Byrnes,  2nd  Conn.  H.  A.,  Co.  G. 

Oliver  G.  Camp,  15th  Conn.  Infty.,  Co.  H. 

Wesley  F.  Cashman,  14th  N.  Y.  H.  A.,  Co.  E. 

Wm.  T.  Chatfield,  Master  Mate,  Gunboat  Kittatinny. 

Frederick  Coon,  8th  Conn.  Infty.,  Co.  E. 

Thomas  M.  Dodds,  Ship  Richmond. 

George  M.  Evans,  1st  Conn.  Cav.,  Co.  B. 

Niles  J.  Engelke,  47th  N.  Y.  Infty.,  Co.  L. 

Moses  Hallas,  22nd  Conn.  Infty.,  Co.  F. 

George  W.  Jackson,  1st  Vermont  Cav.,  Co.  I. 

John  S.  Hayes,  3rd  Conn.  Battery,  L.  A. 

John  W.  Hill,  6th  Conn.  Infty.,  Co.  E. 

Walter  F.  Hinckley,  45th  Infty.,  Co.  H. 

William  A.  Hollman,  Landsman,  Ship  Richmond. 

Charles  Hutchins,  23rd  Mass.  Vols.,  Co.  G. 

George  Hartley,  23rd  Conn.  Infty.,  Co.  H. 

Andrew  J.  Kenneally,  14th  U.  S.  Infty.,  Co.  F. 

Frederick  Korngiebel,  21st  Conn.  Infty.,  Co.  A. 

James  Loucks,  15th  N.  Y.  Infty.,  Co.  E. 

Volney  Matthews,  2nd  X.  J.  Infty.,  Co.  B. 

Dennis  A.  McGraw,  23rd  Conn.  Infty.,  Co.  H. 

John  McLarney,  U.  S.  Navy. 

Henry  W.  Brown,  14th  Conn.  Infty.,  Co.  C. 

Harris  W.  Minor,  6th  Conn.  Infty.,  Co.  E. 

Abraham  C.  Naylor,  39th  Mass.  Infty.,  Co.  F. 

Homer  F.  Northrop,  24th  N.  Y.  Cav.,  Co.  C. 

Aaron  Peck,  17th  Conn.  Infty.,  Co.  G. 


296  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Eugene  A.  Pendleton,  9th  Ohio  Ind.  Battery,  L.  A. 
George  L.  Piatt,  8th  Conn.  Infty.,  Co.  E. 
Hanford  L.  Plumb,  112th  N.  Y.  Infty.,  Co.  B. 
Wales  Porter,  8th  Conn.  Infty.,  Co.  I. 
William  B.  Quigley,  22nd  Conn.  Infty.,  Co.  E. 
Daniel  J.  Rafferty,  1st  Conn.  H.  A.,  Co.  C. 
George  O.  Robbins,  16th  Conn.  Infty.,  Co.  K. 
Charles  M.  Rowley,  2nd  Conn.  H.  A.,  Co.  I. 
John  L.  Saxe,  4th  N.  Y.  Cav.,  Co.  F. 
Chauncey  Seeley,  2nd  Conn.  H.  A.,  Co.  I. 
George  E.  Sellew,  7th  Conn.  Infty.,  Co.  C. 
Sylvester  Shea,  13th  Mass.  Battery,  L.  A. 
Samuel  C.  Snagg,  1st  Conn.  H.  A.,  Co.  C. 
Dwight  L.  Somers,  14th  Conn.  Infty.,  Co.  C. 
John  S.  Stephen,  76th  N.  Y.  Infty.,  Co.  H. 
Stephen  A.  Talmage,  6th  Conn.  Infty.,  Co.  E. 
Levi  W.  Tillotson,  1st  Kansas  Infty.,  Co.  E. 
Ruby  M.  True,  2nd  N.  H.  Infty.,  Co.  B. 
William  Tysoe,  124th  N.  Y.  Infty.,  Co.  G. 
LeRoy  Upson,  1st  Conn.  Battery,  L.  A. 
Charles  D.  Weaver,  10th  Conn.  Infty.,  Co.  F. 
Curtis  P.  Wedge,  2nd  Conn.  H.  A.,  Co.  A. 
David  L.  Wells,  120th  N.  Y.  Infty.,  Co.  C. 
Andrew  Winters,  6th  Conn.  Infty.,  Co.  C. 
Seth  Woodward,  27th  Conn.  Infty.,  Co.  E. 
James  R.  Young,  1st  Conn.  H.  A.,  Co.  C. 

Below  is  a  list  of  the  past  post  commanders  with  dates  of  service :  William 
Tysoe,  1879;  George  Robbins,  1882;  Oscar  W.  Cornish,  1888;  Wesley  F.  Cash- 
man,  1889;  George  L.  Piatt,  1891 ;  John  S.  Hayes,  1893;  William  E.  Quigley, 
1896;  Eugene  A.  Pendleton,  1898;  John  S.  Stephens,  1900;  Chauncey  Seeley, 
1901 ;  Frederick  Korngiebel,  1905  ;  John  L.  Saxe,  1910;  Levi  Tillotson,  1912;  Alex 
Buchanan,  1914;  Henry  W.  Brown,  191 5;  Andrew  J.  Kenneally,  1916;  Curtis 
P.  Wedge,  191 7. 

The  following  are  the  officers  for  1917:  Commander,  Curtis  P.  Wedge; 
S.  V.  commander,  Aaron  Peck;  J.  V.  commander,  Wales  Porter;  Adjt,  Chauncey 
Seeley;  Q.  M.,  William  Tysoe;  surgeon,  Hanford  L.  Plumb;  chaplain,  Levi  W. 
Tillotson. 

Wadham  Relief  Corps  No.  1  has  the  following  officers :  President,  Mrs. 
Mattie  Ward;  secretary,  Mrs.  Fannie  M.  Warner;  treasurer,  Mrs.  Lura  E.  Dutton. 

SONS  OF  VETERANS 

Sons  of  Veterans  Wadham  Camp  No.  49,  has  the  following  officers:  Com- 
mander, Venton  D.  Cashman;  S.  V.  C,  William  Loomis;  J.  V.  C,  Robert  S. 
Cooper;  secretary,  John  S.  Gallagher;  treasurer,  Louis  E.  Granger;  chaplain, 
Benjamin  R.  Singleton;  patriotic  instructor,  Herman  M.  Turrell. 

OTHER    PATRIOTIC    SOCIETIES 

The  Connecticut  Society  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution,  which  is  a  state 
branch  of  the  national  organization  of  that  name,  has  no  distinctively  local  chapters. 
Waterbury  has,  however,  been  honored  quite  often  by  representation  in  its  official 
family.     In  1899  former  Congressman  Stephen  W.  Kellogg  was  on  its  board  of 


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WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  297 

managers.  In  1901  and  1912  George  E.  Judd  was  similarly  honored.  In  1902 
and  1903  Mark  L.  Sperry  and  in  191 1  John  P.  Elton  served  in  the  same  capacity. 
Gen.  Merrit  Heminway  of  Watertown  was  also  for  years  on  its  board  of  managers. 

In  the  State  Society  of  Colonial  Wars,  Arthur  R.  Kimball  of  Waterbury 
was  in  1909  chosen  lieutenant  governor,  serving  until  191 3. 

In  the  Military  Order  of  the  Foreign  Wars  of  the  United  States,  Connecticut 
Branch,  Col.  Lucien  F.  Burpee  was  vice  commander  for  1912  and  1913.  Rev. 
Alexander  Hamilton  of  Woodbury  has  been- chaplain  since  1908. 

In  1903  the  Connecticut  officers  of  the  Spanish-American  war  formed  a  state 
branch  of  the  Naval  and  Military  Order  of  the  Spanish-American  war.  Of  this 
Judge  Lucien  F.  Burpee  has  been  vice  commander  since  its  organization.  It 
holds  annual  meetings  in  the  State  House  at  Hartford. 

In  1903  the  Department  of  Connecticut,  United  Spanish  War  Veterans,  was 
formed  with  local  branches  in  many  towns  of  the  state.  Emerson  H.  Liscum 
Camp  No.  12,  of  Waterbury,  was  organized  in  1907  with  Aubrey  S.  Edwards 
as  captain.  Its  captains  since  that  date  have  been  Joseph  Monaghan,  Joseph  C. 
Heolion,  Adolph  P.  King,  M.  A.  Carter,  Wm.  H.  Atkins,  John  H.  Hitchcock, 
Frederick  P.  Houston. 

Gustave  Asheim  and  A.  P.  King  of  Waterbury  have  both  served  as  marshal 
and  inspector  of  the  State  Department. 

Waterbury  is  strongly  represented  in  the  Connecticut  Society  of  the  Order 
of  the  Founders  and  Patriots  of  America.  Rev.  John  G.  Davenport  has  been 
its  state  chaplain  since  19 13,  and  Aldis  A.  Lovell  has  served  it  for  the  same  period 
as  state's  attorney.  In  1916  Benj.  L.  Coe  was  chosen  councilor  for  three  years. 
Its  genealogist  is  Charles  Westburn  Church. 

Waterbury's  women  descendants  of  Colonial  Dames  have  taken  a  deep  interest 
in  the  Connecticut  Society  of  the  Colonial  Dames  of  America.  In  1905  and  1906 
Martha  R.  Driggs  was  its  recording  secretary,  serving  in  1909,  1910  and  191 1, 
and  again  in  1916  as  vice  president.  In  1908  Edith  D.  Kingsbury  was  vice  presi- 
dent and  in  1912  served  a  term  as  corresponding  secretary.  Its  meetings  are 
held  annually. 

THE    PATRICK   SARSF1ELD    CLUB 

The  Patrick  Sarsfield  Club  is  a  purely  educational  organization  which  in 
1895  was  already  active  in  its  work  of  keeping  alive  the  Gaelic  language  and 
in  commemorating  all  those  celebrated  deeds  and  events  which  have  made  history 
in  Ireland.  Its  important  meeting  is  held  annually,  on  some  great  Irish  anniversary, 
and  is  in  the  shape  of  a  banquet  at  the  Elton,  but  this  has  been  discontinued  during 
the  war  period.  Among  its  notable  officials  have  been  Henry  Southwick,  John 
Claffey,  Joseph  McGrail,  Morgan  T.  Burke,  John  Kierney,  Michael  J.  Lynch, 
Francis  P.  Guilfoile,  Dennis  J.  Slavin,  John  J.  Howard. 

Its  officers  in  191 7  are:  President,  Timothy  F.  Luddy;  recording  secretary, 
Wm.  J.  Hughes;  financial  secretary,  Michael  Carroll;  treasurer,  John  J.  Claffey. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 
MUSIC  AND  THE  DRAMA 

WATERBURY     SYMPHONY     ORCHESTRA CHURCH      CHOIRS     REKINDLE     INTEREST      IN 

MUSIC THE    BUCKINGHAM     MUSIC     HALL ORATORIO    SOCIETY    AND    ITS    CELE- 
BRATED MAY  FESTIVAL WATERBURY  CHORAL  CLUB GERMAN  SINGING  SOCIETIES 

—THEATRICAL   HISTORY  OF  A  QUARTER  CENTURY THE  ADVENT  OF  POLl's THE 

MOVIE  PERIOD THE  WORK  OF  EUGENE  JACQUES AMATEUR  THEATRICALS. 

Waterbury,  like  all  American  cities,  has  had  constant  changes  in  its  musical 
life,  but  since  1893  it  has  at  least  been  rich  in  a  great  host  of  music  lovers,  who 
have  given  their  time  and  their  money  to  educate  the  city  from  a  musical  stand- 
point. 

Beginning  in  1866  and  still  continuing,  now  the  oldest  musical  organization  in 
the  city,  is  the  Concordia,  a  German  male  chorus,  Hans  Saro,  director,  and  its 
concerts  are  of  the  highest  order.  Director  Saro  has  for  over  two  decades  been 
active  in  this  fine  work  of  advancing  musical  interest  in  Waterbury. 

In  1902  the  Waterbury  Symphony  Orchestra,  conducted  by  Charles  E.  Farn- 
ham  was  a  decided  artistic  advance.  This,  too,  has  been  a  continuous  organization. 
For  years  it  was  known  as  the  Farnham  Symphony  Orchestra.  During  the  past 
three  years  it  has  been  known  as  the  Waterbury  Philharmonic  Orchestra.  Its 
latest  concert,  given  in  1916,  was  up  to  its  usual  high  standard.  The  president  of 
the  organization  is  John  L.  Bonn,  with  George  E.  Boyd  and  Howard  Bristol  also 
active  in  its  management. 

But  the  churches  did  most  to  keep  alive  the  practice  of  music  and  the  taste 
for  it.  Dwellers  in  great  cities,  where  concert  and  opera  are  frequent,  often  over- 
look the  relative  importance  of  church  music  in  smaller  communities.  In  cities 
of  100,000  or  less,  the  singing  of  a  standard  choral  work  by  an  ambitious  choir, 
or  even  the  special  music  prepared  for  Christmas,  Easter,  or  other  church 
festivals  becomes  a  matter  of  popular  note  and  significance.  The  history  of 
music  in  America  begins,  all  commentators  agree,  with  the  psalm  and  hymns  of 
early  New  England  worshipers. 

So  it  was  a  church  choir  that  rekindled  in  1903  the  general  interest  of  Water- 
bury in  music.  Its  latest  predecessor  had  been  the  Harmonic  Society,  born  in 
1889,  died  in  1894,  which  in  1890  gave  "Elijah"  for  the  first  time  in  Waterbury 
and  brought  to  the  city  the  famous  Germania  orchestra  of  Boston.  Its  director 
was  Alex  S.  Gibson. 

Meanwhile  the  choir  of  Trinity  Church  had  been  developing  into  a  reliable 
and  flexible  musical  instrument.  Its  organist  and  director,  George  E.  Boyd,  at- 
tracted considerable  notice  for  the  choir  by  performing  Stainer's  Crucifixion, 
Sullivan's  Prodigal  Son,  Dudley  Buck's  setting  of  the  Forty-sixth  Psalm,  Gaul's 
Passion  Service,  and  long  excerpts  from  Mendelssohn's  St.  Paul. 

Pressure  of  other  business  compelled  Mr.  Boyd  to  resign  his  church  post  'in 
1898.  But  in  October,  1903,  desiring  to  give  The  Messiah,  Mr.  Boyd  organized 
the  Trinity  Choral  Society,  with  the  choir  as  a  nucleus.     The  singers  were  good 

298 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  299 

readers,  for  after  only  nine  rehearsals,  the  eighty-four  voiees  got  through 
creditably.  The  orchestra  of  forty  gave  Mr.  Boyd  his  first  experience  as  a 
conductor  of  instrumental  music.  In  [904-5  the  Trinity  Choral  Society  repeated 
The  Messiah  and  also  sang  Elijah,  having  grown  to  135  voices.  There  was  similar 
activity  the  following  year. 

When  the  Waterbury  Hospital  was  planned,  John  II.  Whittemore  modestly 
offered  to  give  a  plot  in  the  heart  of  the  town  and  to  erect  thereon  a  line  business 
building. — a  donation  to  the  hospital,  valued  at  over  two  hundred  thousand 
dollars.  This  was  the  moment  seized  upon  by  Mr.  Boyd,  Miss  Mary  R.  Hillard, 
Isaac  B.  Clark.  Albert  J.  Blakesley,  John  L.  Bonn,  Charles  E.  Farnham,  R.  A. 
Laslett  Smith,  and  other  far-seeing  musical  enthusiasts  to  urge  Waterbury's 
need  of  a  first-class  concert  hall.  They  laid  the  facts  before  Mr.  Whittemore. 
They  showed  how  inadequate  the  city  hall  and  the  churches  had  proven,  for 
important  musical  gatherings  They  pointed  out  the  growing  taste  for  music,  the 
existence  of  a  measurable  and  increasing  public  demanding  the  best  and  willing, 
under  proper  conditions,  to  pay  for  it.  They  suggested  that  a  large  concert  room 
in  the  proposed  Buckingham  Building  would  provide  revenue  for  the  hospital 
by  encouraging  the  visits  of  the  great  orchestras  and  musical  artists. 

After  due  consideration,  Mr.  Whittemore  acquiesced.  The  new  hall,  as  part 
of  the  large  office  building,  was  designed  by  McKim,  Mead  &  White,  and  was 
dedicated  October  2,  1906,  with  two  concerts.  Victor  Herbert  and  his  orchestra 
played ;  the  soloists  w-ere  Mme.  Louise  Homer  and  Campanari ;  the  Choral  Society 
sang  the  Hallelujah  chorus  from  the  Messiah,  with  other  fitting  music.  It  became 
a  Nattgatuck  Valley  occasion  and  the  people  thronged  the  new  house  and  evinced 
the  liveliest  satisfaction.  Mr.  Herbert  declared  the  hall  superior  in  acoustics  to 
any  in  New  York,  and  the  musicians  and  auditors  joined  him  in  praise  of  its 
comfort,  convenience  and  beauty. 

This  music  hall  holds  an  audience  of  fifteen  hundred,  and  there  is  room  for 
nearly  five  hundred  persons  on  the  stage.  It  was  planned  and  executed  with  all  the 
skill  and  taste  that  the  architects,  backed  by  the  liberal  giver,  could  command. 

The  choral  body  later  became  the  Waterbury  Oratorio  Society,  conducted  by 
Richard  T.  Percy  of  New  York. 

At  the  published  suggestion  of  Miss  Mary  R.  Hillard,  the  Music  League  was 
formed  to  raise  and  manage  what  was  intended  to  be  a  permanent  guarantee 
fund.  In  1901  half  a  dozen  men  of  WTaterbury,  taking  their  ideas  from  a  Hartford 
organization,  formed  themselves  into  the  Camelot  Club.  Raising  among  its  six 
members  several  hundred  dollars,  the  Camelot  Club  kept  this  as  a  fund,  enabling 
it  to  risk  engaging  distinguished  musicians  for  concerts  in  Waterbury.  Under 
the  club's  auspices,  the  Kneisel  Quartet,  the  Mamies  Quartet  and  several  recital 
givers  made  excellent  music  to  such  good  audiences  that  the  fund  was  scarcely 
touched.  The  newly  formed  Music  League  then  absorbed  the  Camelot  Club, 
borrowed  its  plan  and  began  to  apply  it  on  a  larger  scale. 

The  Waterbury  Oratorio  Society  promptly  voted  to  co-operate  in  building  up 
the  Music  League,  and  named  as  a  committee  Messrs.  C.  B.  Churchill,  Isaac  P. 
Kellogg,  Charles  P.  Mitchell,  R.  A.  Laslett  Smith.  J.  Edward  Keegan,  H.  H. 
Romer,  and  George  E.  Boyd. 

On  December  14.  1906,  the  Waterbury  Oratorio  Society  gave  "The  Messiah" 
with  Richard  T.  Percy,  directing.  The  soloists  on  this  occasion  were  Mrs.  Caroline 
Mihr-Hardy,  soprano;  Adele  Laeis  Baldwin,  contralto;  Frank  H.  Ormsby,  tenor: 
and  Ericsson  F.  Bushnell,  bass.  The  symphony  orchestra  of  forty-five  took  part 
in  the  concert. 

On  May  13  and  May  14,  1917.  the  Waterbury  Oratorio  Society  gave  its  notable 


300  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

May  musical  festival  with  a  program  that  provided  for  two  rehearsals  and  three 
concerts.  Damrosch's  New  York  Symphony  orchestra  was  engaged  for  the 
festival  with  Maud  Powell,  Madame  Charlotte  Maconda,  Isabelle  Bouton,  Ellison 
Van  Hoose,  Gwilym  Miles,  and  Frederick  C.  Weld,  as  soloists.  The  first  rehearsal 
took  place  Monday  afternoon,  May  13th.  The  first  concert  took  place  Monday 
evening,  with  a  Wagner  program  and  with  Maud  Powell  and  Ellison  Van  Hoose 
as  soloists.  The  second  rehearsal  took  place  Tuesday  morning.  The  second 
concert  took  plaee  Tuesday  afternoon,  with  a  Symphony  program  and  Maconda 
as  the  soloist.  Tuesday  evening  the  Waterbury  Oratorio  Society,  assisted  by  the 
Damrosch  orchestra,  gave  the  oratorio  "Samson  and  Delilah"  with  Isabelle  Bouton, 
Charlotte  Maconda,  Ellison  Van  Hoose  and  Frederick  C.  Weld  as  soloists. 

This  was  perhaps  the  most  pretentious  musical  affair  ever  held  in  Waterbury. 
While  it  was  a  tremendous  artistic  success,  the  Music  League  was  called  upon 
to  make  up  a  considerable  deficit. 

The  Waterbury  Oratorio  Society  gave  a  notable  concert  on  January  9,  1910, 
with  an  orchestra  of  fifty,  George  E.  Boyd  conducting.  The  soloists  were  Miss 
Laura  Louise  Combs,  Mrs.  Robert  Spencer  May,  Dr.  Franklin  Lawson,  and 
Willard  Flint. 

The  Waterbury  Choral  Club,  a  mixed  chorus  with  125  voices,  is  in  1917  the 
leading  musical  organization  of  Waterbury.  It  is  the  outgrowth  of  the  former 
Trinity  Church  Choir  which  closed  its  career  in  1913,  when  Trinity  changed  to 
a  boys'  choir.  Isaac  B.  Clark,  who  was  musical  director  of  the  Trinity  Choir, 
became  leader  of  the  Choral  Club  and  it  is  now  in  its  fourth  year.  In  1914  it 
gave  a  single  concert,  singing  Grieg's  "Christoforus."  Its  soloists  were :  John 
Barnes  Wells,  Mrs.  Clara  Oakes  Usher,  Mrs.  Isaac  B.  Clark,  and  Rollin  P.  Clarke. 

In  191 5  at  its  January  concert,  it  sang  "The  Messiah"  with  an  orchestra  of 
forty  pieces  recruited  from  New  York,  Hartford,  Waterbury,  and  Bridgeport. 
The  soloists  were  John  Barnes  Wells  and  Edgar  Schofield  of  New  York,  Clara 
Oakes  Usher  and  Miss  Edith  Aab.  At  its  April  concert  in  191 5  the  soloist  was 
Arthur  Middleton,  of  the  Metropolitan  Opera. 

In  1916  the  Choral  Club  gave  the  oratorio  "Elijah"  with  Miss  Rhea  Massicotte, 
of  Meriden,  as  soprano,  Robert  Maitland  of  Covent  Garden,  London,  as  baritone, 
Miss  Abbott  of  New  York,  alto,  and  Paul  Althouse,  of  the  Metropolitan  Opera, 
tenor.  The  orchestra  of  forty-five  pieces  was  again  recruited  from  New  York, 
Hartford,  Waterbury,  and  Bridgeport.  At  the  miscellaneous  concert  in  1916, 
Henry  Dunn  of  Waterbury  was  the  piano  soloist,  and  Althouse,  of  New  York, 
the  tenor. 

The  Choral  Club  is  now  preparing  to  produce  the  oratorio  "St.  Paul"  in 
January,  1918. 

The  capable  accompanist  of  the  club  is  Miss  Eunice  Broughton. 

The  Waterbury  Choral  Club  is  Unit  No.  2  of  the  Liberty  Chorus  of  Con- 
necticut, and  Mr.  Clark  hopes  to  have  1,000  voices  trained  when  the  first  call  for 
patriotic  singing  comes  from  headquarters. 

The  Masonic  Choir,  ranging  from  forty  to  fifty  voices,  is  now  in  its  eighth 
year.  It  was  in  charge  of  Isaac  B.  Clark  as  musical  director  shortly  after  its 
organization.  For  three  years  it  was  under  the  musical  direction  of  Arthur  H. 
Turner,  and  is  now  again  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Clark.  It  gives  one  annual 
concert  in  May  and  tours  the  state.  Its  soloists  at  the  last  May  concert  were 
Lambert  Murphy  and  Leonora  Sparks. 

Its  most  notable  concert  was  that  given  January  27,  1914,  at  the  opening  of 
Temple  Hall.  Alma  Gluck  was  the  soloist,  Arthur  H.  Turner  conducted,  George 
E.  Boyd  was  at  the  organ,  and  Ralph  E.  Douglass  was  accompanist. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  301 

Of  other  musical  organizations  the  Swedish  singing  society  which  has  been 
giving  concerts  for  some  years,  is  worthy  of  mention.    Its  work  is  always  excellent. 

The  same  may  be  said  of  the  Lyra  Society,  a  German  singing  organization,  of 
which  Director  Keller  has  charge. 

The  Waterbury  German  singing  societies,  particularly  the  Concordia  and 
Lyra,  have  always  taken  an  active  part  in  the  Connecticut  Saengerfests.  Twelve 
years  ago  this  was  held  in  Waterbury  and  the  Concordia  as  usual  won  medals  for 
excellence. 

Waterbury  has  reason  to  be  particularly  proud  of  its  bands.  The  most  im- 
portant of  these  is  that  conducted  by  Bert  L.  Fulton.  This  organization  founded 
by  James  M.  Fulton,  now  of  Boston,  was  formerly  the  American  Band,  then 
became  Fulton's  American  Band,  and  last  year  enlisted  in  the  Home  Guard.  It 
is  now  known  as  the  Fifth  Regiment  Home  Guard  Band.  There  are  also  the 
Boys'  Club  Band,  DiVito's  orchestra  and  band  and  Wolff's  orchestra,  all  of  which 
are  competent  musical  organizations. 

Waterbury  has  an  opportunity,  through  Paul  Prentzel,  local  impresario,  to 
hear  all  of  the  world's  greatest  musicians.  In  the  last  decade  there  has  not  been 
a  year  in  which  some  of  the  best  of  the  country's  singers  and  instrumentalists 
on  concert  tour  have  not  come  to  Waterbury. 

On  November  13,  1913,  Mr.  Prentzel  had  Kathleen  Paulow,  the  violinist,  in 
Waterbury.  following  on  January  26,  1914,  with  Harold  Bauer,  pianist  and 
Madame  Hudson  Alexander,  soprano.  On  March  3,  1914,  Jan  Kubelik  was  his 
attraction.  The  remainder  of  his  1914  musical  program  included  Anna  Case, 
Arrigo  Serato,  Carl  Friedberg,  Felice  Lyne,  with  the  New  York  Symphony 
orchestra,  Maggie  Teyte,  Mark  Hambourg,  and  Edmund  Burke. 

In  191 5  he  began  the  year  with  Marcella  Sembrich  and  followed  with  Fritz 
Kreisler,  Pasquale  Amato,  Olive  Kline,  Josef  Hofmann,  Mischa  Elman.  Then 
in  order  since  191 5  he  has  brought  here  Josef  Stransky  and  Julia  Culp  with 
the  New  York  Philharmonic  orchestra,  Madame  Schumann-Heink,  Alma  Gluck, 
Ysaye,  Boston  Symphony  orchestra,  Maria  Barrientos,  Zimbalist,  Sophie  Breslau, 
Elena  Gerhardt,  Martinelli.  Percy  Grainger,  the  Metropolitan  Opera  orchestra  with 
Leon  Rothier,  Mabel  Garrison  and  Giuseppe  De  Luca. 

On  March  3,  1916,  C.  Z.  Sparadowski  brought  Paderewski  to  Waterbury.  He 
played  at  Buckingham  Music  Hall  to  a  packed  house. 

THEATERS  AND  AMATEUR  DRAMATICS 

During  the  past  twenty-five  years  Waterbury,  like  all  American  cities,  has 
witnessed  the  many  transformations  which  mark  the  history  of  the  theater  in 
the  United  States.  In  1893,  the  beginning  of  this  period,  the  drama  was  in  the 
ascendant,  and  Waterbury  with  its  new  Jacques  Opera  House,  opened  November 
1,  1886,  and  the  old  city  hall  which  had  done  service  since  the  Theodore  Thomas 
orchestra  had  opened  its  hall  on  October  26,  1869,  saw  practically  all  of  the  great 
stars  and  successful  plays  of  the  day.  It  was  the  height  of  the  traveling  company 
period.  There  was  running  at  this  time  also  the  old  rink  on  the  site  of  the 
Buckingham  Building.  This  had  been  operated  for  some  years  as  a  theater,  its 
name  in  1893  having  been  changed  from  "The  Casino"  to  the  "People's  Theater." 
In  this  place  of  amusement  Denman  Thompson  is  said  to  have  given  the  first 
performance  of  "The  Old  Homestead."  Margaret  Mather  also  played  there. 
But  in  1893  it  was  relegated  to  the  cheaper  class  of  entertainments. 

Waterbury  owes  much  to  the  enterprise  of  its  earliest  theater  manager,  Eugene 
Leslie  Jacques.     He  was  born  in  Plymouth  April  30.  1855,  was  educated  in  the 


302  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Waterbury  schools,  and  gave  this,  his  home  town,  all  the  energy  and  brains  that 
made  for  success  in  a  theatrical  way.     Eugene  Jacques  died  December  4,  1905. 

At  Jacques'  Theater,  until  the  opening  of  its  first  real  opposition,  Poli's  Theater 
December  15,  1897,  all  of  the  great  artists  of  the  day  appeared.  The  list  included 
Edwin  Booth,  Ezra  Kendall,  Richard  Golden.  Marion  Manola  and  Jack  Mason. 
May  Irwin,  Modjeska,  Bernhardt,  Barrett,  Ada  Rehan,  the  Daly  musical  suc- 
cesses, Kyrle  Bellew,  and  Mrs.  James  Brown  Potter,  Fay  Templeton,  Louis  fames, 
Marie  Wainwright,  James  O'Neil,  Fanny  Davenport,  Melbourne  McDowell,  Neil 
Burgess,  Robert  Mantell,  James  A.  Heme,  and  all  that  host  of  great  players  who 
made  that  period  illustrious. 

The  old  city  hall,  after  the  building  of  Jacques,  was  used  largely  by  local 
dramatic  societies  although  some  excellent  professional  attractions  continued  to 
appear  there  for  many  years. 

In  both  the  building  of  the  old  rink  and  in  the  construction  of  the  new 
Jacques,  Eugene  Jacques  had  as  partner.  Arthur  H.  Fenn,  now  the  well-known 
golf  professional  at  Poland  Springs  and  Palm  Beach.  In  these  days  Fenn  was  a 
professional  fancy  skater.  The  old  rink  even  as  the  People's  Theater,  failed  to 
pay  after  the  roller  skating  and  polo  craze  died  out.  Henry  Pincus  later  turned 
it  into  a  summer  garden,  with  a  Hungarian  orchestra.  It  was  in  its  last  years 
given  over  to  cheap  attractions,  medicine  shows  and  the  like,  finally  coming  into 
possession  of  Mr.  Whittemore  who  tore  it  down  to  make  way  for  Buckingham 
Music  Hall. 

In  1891  Mr.  Jacques  built  the  Auditorium  on  South  Main  Street.  This,  with 
its  hard  maple  floor,  5,000  square  feet  of  dancing  floor,  a  good  stage  and  all 
necessary  accessory  rooms,  was  at  once  in  demand  for  large  gatherings  and  big 
local  fairs,  bazaars  and  prize  fights.  Gen.  William  Booth,  head  of  the  Salvation 
Army,  spoke  in  this  place,  to  an  immense  gathering  October  29,  1894. 

For  a  time  it  was  used  by  the  David  M.  Hartford  Stock  Company,  but  this 
venture  was  not  successful.  It  is  now  a  picture  house,  and  is  still  used  for 
conventions,  auto  shows,  fairs,  and  other  such  affairs.  It  was  in  the  Auditorium 
that  Terry  McGovern,  then  managed  by  Sam  Harris  of  Cohan  &  Harris,  fought 
his  first  big  fight. 

In  the  early  '90s,  Sylvester  Z.  Poli,  who  had  for  some  time  run  a  successful 
vaudeville  theater  in  New  Haven,  looked  around  for  new  openings  in  his  line. 
Mr.  Poli  had  been  a  sculptor  in  his  younger  days,  and  finally  made  some  of  the 
wonderful  wax  figures  at  the  Eden  Musee  in  New  York.  From  this  he  drifted 
into  the  theatrical  business,  and  now  owns  theaters  all  over  New  England.  After 
New  Haven,  Waterbury  was  his  first  new  field.  In  1896  John  Moriarty  bought 
the  East  Main  Street  property  of  the  American  Pin  Company  and  the  Blake  & 
fohnson  Company,  both  concerns  having  moved  into  new  plants  at  Waterville. 
The  greater  part  of  it  was  remodeled  for  a  furniture  store.  The  remainder  of 
the  space  was  used  for  the  construction  of  Poli's  theater.  There  had  been  com- 
plaint by  some  of  the  traveling  companies  that  the  Jacques  stage  was  not  large 
enough  for  big  productions.  It  was  therefore  decided  to  make  the  stage  one  of 
the  largest  in  the  country  and  to  provide  seating  accommodations  for  at  least 
one  thousand  two  hundred.  With  its  magnificent  furnishings,  its  beautiful  system 
of  lighting,  its  advantageous  location,  Poli's  at  once  assumed  its  place  as  the  lead- 
ing theater  of  Waterbury.  The  attraction  on  the  opening  day,  December  15. 
1897,  was  Francis  Wilson  in  "Half  a  King." 

The  competition  between  Poli's  and  Jacques'  became  keen,  both  houses  suffer- 
ing financially.  This  continued  for  two  years,  when  the  two  theater  managers, 
Eugene  Jacques  and  Sylvester  Z.  Poli,  got  together  and  formed  a  partnership. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  303 

which  continued  until  the  death  of  Eugene  Jacques.  During  these  years  Mr. 
Jacques  managed  both  theaters.  There  was  another  factor  that  entered  into  the 
settlement  of  the  local  theatrical  light  and  that  was  the  Waterbury  bill-posting 
privilege  which  was  owned  by  Eugene  Jacques.  It  was  the  lack  of  this  Aery 
necessary  means  of  advertising  that  finally  brought  Mr.  Poli  to  terms. 

I 'oli's  was  now  used  for  high  class  attractions  and  Jacques  for  "ten-twenty- 
thirty"  melodrama,  presenting  such  plays  as  "Streets  of  New  York,"  "Shadows 
of  a  Great  City,"  "The  Gnat  Metropolis,"  "The  Lights  of  London."  In  1902 
Jacques'  became  a  vaudeville  house  and  ran  successfully  for  several  seasons. 
Then  a  summer  stock  company  was  formed  with  Earle  Simmons  as  the  leading 
man  and  stock  finally  crowded  out  vaudeville.  There  was  a  popular  craze  for 
stock  and  Simmons,  Ernestine  Morley,  David  M.  Hartford,  James  Devine  and 
others  of  the  principal  actors,  had  many  admirers. 

The  stars  of  the  period  from  1900  to  1910,  when  the  "movie"  craze  was 
completing  its  work  of  transforming  the  dramatic  world,  all  appeared  at  Poli's. 
These  comprised  among  many  others,  the  Empire  Theater  Stock  Company  plays, 
all  the  Frohman  attractions,  Richard  Mansfield,  Forbes  Robertson,  E.  S.  Willard, 
Maude  Adams,  Irving  and  Terry,  Rhea,  Bernhardt  in  "Camille"  January  4,  191 1, 
and  others  as  famous. 

After  the  death  of  Eugene  Jacques  in  1905,  Mr.  Poli  took  over  the  lease  of 
Jacques  Theater,  still  running  it  as  a  stock  house,  but  after  a  time  sold  his  interest 
to  P.  F.  Shea.  Mr.  Shea  undertook  to  play  high  class  attractions,  but  the  people 
who  patronize  these  plays  did  not  come  in  paying  numbers.  He  tried  burlesque 
three  nights  a  week  and  light  opera  three  nights.  This  also  failed  to  go.  He 
gave  up  his  lease,  and  Michael  E.  Keeley,  who  was  administrator  for  the  estate 
of  Eugene  Jacques,  together  with  T.  Frank  Hayes,  of  the  T.  H.  Hayes  Compam\ 
took  over  the  building  and  engaged  James  Clancy,  an  experienced  theatrical  man, 
to  come  from  Rochester  to  Waterbury  and  run  Jacques  Theater.  Mr.  Clancy 
had  managed  it  before  as  a  vaudeville  and  stock  house.  He  at  once  put  in 
burlesque  and  the  theater  is  playing  almost  to  capacity  practically  every  night. 

Five  years  ago  Poli's  Theater,  like  all  others  of  the  larger  theaters  in  the 
United  States,  accepted  the  inevitable  and  changed  to  a  successful  popular  priced 
vaudeville  theater,  with  a  popular  summer  stock  company  to  fill  in  between 
seasons.  Harry  E.  Parsons  was  local  manager  until  191 7,  when  he  took  charge 
of  the  financial  end  of  all  the  Poli  theaters.  Walter  Griffiths  now  manages  the 
theater.     High-class  attractions  are  booked  from  time  to  time. 

Up  to  about  1910  moving  pictures  were  merely  an  interlude  in  theatricals, 
being  shown  between  the  acts  at  vaudeville  and  stock  performances.  Then  the 
era  of  "store  shows"  began,  small  moving  picture  houses  being  started  in  vacant 
stores  and  showing  for  a  5-cent  admission  fee.  Chotzranoff  Brothers  built  the 
Garden  Theater  at  this  time  and  leased  it  to  Poli,  who  operated  it  as  the  first 
regular  moving  picture  theater.  It  had  a  seating  capacity  of  500  and  a  real 
attempt  was  made  to  put  the  "movie"  on  a  higher  plane.  Carl  F.  Chapin  was 
the  first  man  in  Waterbury  with  the  vision  to  see  the  present  possibilities  of  the 
new  form  of  entertainment  and  in  1910  he  made  an  arrangement  with  Poli  to 
manage  the  Garden  for  awhile.  Mr.  Chapin  raised  both  the  standard  of  the 
pictures  shown  and  the  admission  fee,  but  the  experiment  was  made  a  year  or 
two  ahead  of  the  proper  time  and  did  not  succeed.  The  Garden  is  now  owned 
by  Judge  Edward  F.  Cole. 

Meantime  the  success  of  the  small  "store  shows"  turned  many  active  business 
men  into  moving  picture  house  proprietors.  Within  a  year  or  two  there  were 
built  the  Carroll  on  North  Square,  the  Colonial  on  South  Main  Street,  the  Scenic 


304  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

on  Bank  Street,  the  Star  on  Baldwin  Street,  the  Eden  in  Brooklyn  and  a  number 
of  others,  Patrick  H.  Carroll,  Benedict  E.  Hausdorff,  Robert  Molzon,  John  L. 
Fernandez  being  among  the  pioneers  of  the  moving  picture  movement.  There 
were  frequent  changes  of  management  and  interest,  too  bewildering  to  follow 

In  1913  John  J.  O'Neil  built  the  Strand  Theater,  which  was  first  leased  to 
William  Fox  of  the  Fox  Enterprise  Company,  and  operated  as  a  vaudeville  house. 
The  first  season  was  not  successful  and  Marcus  Loew  added  it  to  his  string  of 
theaters  in  1914.  In  191 5  it  was  taken  over  by  Mr.  Poli  and  is  now  run  as  a  very 
successful  "movie"  house. 

The  Princess  on  Center  Street,  a  beautiful,  cosy  theater,  was  opened  in 
June,  1913,  by  a  local  company  of  which  Otis  S.  Cowles  is  treasurer  and  C.  L. 
Martin  manager,  and  is  now  giving  "first  run"  attractions.  Its  capacity  is  500. 
The  building  was  reconstructed  in  five  weeks'  time  and  was  opened  with  "The 
Pilgrim's  Progress." 

The  Rialto,  opened  in  the  Poli  Theater  Block  on  East  Main  Street  in  October, 
191 7,  is  the  most  ambitious  moving  picture  theater  yet  opened  in  Waterbury. 
The  cost  of  reconstruction,  furnishing  and  equipment,  including  a  large  pipe 
organ,  was  announced  at  $90,000.  The  seating  capacity  is  1,400.  J.  F.  Nichols 
is  the  manager. 

AMATEUR    THEATRICALS 

Waterbury  has  been  particularly  interested  in  amateur  theatricals.  Its  younger 
sets  from  generation  to  generation  have  shown  unusual  talents  and  have  had 
each  in  turn  the  advantages  of  excellent  training.  Prof.  Francis  T.  Russell,  D.  D., 
who  was  for  years  at  the  head  of  St.  Margaret's  School,  was  a  remarkable 
teacher  of  elocution.  The  performance  by  local  talent  of  "The  School  for  Scan- 
dal" on  May  22  and  23,  1896,  under  his  direction,  is  still  remembered  as  an 
exceptionally  meritorious  performance.  This  was  given  at  Jacques  Opera  House 
and  among  those  who  took  important  parts  in  the  production  were  Lewis  A. 
Piatt,  who  was  the  Sir  Peter  Teazle,  John  H.  Goss,  who  was  Lady  Sneerwell's 
servant,  Medora  H.  Piatt,  now  Mrs.  Walter  Hamlin  Holmes,  who  was  a  remark- 
able Lady  Teazle,  C.  Sanford  Bull,  Isaac  P.  Kellogg,  Archer  O.  Hitchcock, 
Harold  R.  Durant,  G.  Middleton  Parsons,  Pierson  J.  dimming,  Albert  M.  Bur- 
rett,  2d,  Charles  F.  Mitchell,  Miss  Emily  M.  Plume,  Mrs.  John  P.  Kellogg,  Miss 
Alma  J.  Scott,  Miss  Elsie  Shaw.  Mrs.  Holmes  showed  promise  of  ranking  with 
the  best  professionals  of  the  day  if  she  had  elected  to  take  to  a  stage  life. 

Among  the  most  notable  of  the  dramatic  societies  of  the  early  years  of  this 
quarter  century  was  the  Acme  Dramatic  Club,  which  in  1893  and  1894  was  under 
the  training  of  E.  L,  Maloney,  and  in  1894,  1895,  1896,  1897  and  1898  under  the 
supervision  of  Thomas  D:  Freney,  to  whom  Waterbury  is  indebted  for  many  of 
the  best  amateur  performances  of  the  past  two  decades.  In  1899  the  Acme 
Dramatic  Club's  performance  of  "May  Blossom"  was  under  the  direction  of 
Dr.  J.  L.  Moriarty. 

"Colleen  Bawn"  was  the  play  given  in  1893  with  T.  F.  Carmody,  E.  L. 
Maloney,  F.  P.  Becton,  J.  R.  Freney,  Mrs.  J.  L.  Moriarty,  Mrs.  T.  J.  Kilmartin, 
Miss  Lou  Donahue  in  leading  parts.  W.  J.  Hughes  and  E.  L.  Tuttle  furnished 
the  musical  part  of  the  performance.  In  1894  "Under  Two  Flags"  was  given  and 
Dennis  J.  Slavin,  then  a  judge  in  embryo,  Peter  Fox,  Miss  Josie  Egan,  Mrs.  J.  E. 
Smith,  the  Misses  Murphy  and  Garde,  joined  the  society.  "Clouds"  was  given 
in  1895,  "My  Geraldine"  in  1896,  "Fair  Rebel"  in  1897,  "Shenandoah"  in  1898. 
Dr.  John  D.  Freney,  William  T.  Smith,  Rev.  William  Fox,  and  Miss  Rose  Mc- 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  305 

Donald  appeared  in  many  of  these  plays,  in  addition  to  those  mentioned  above. 
The  plays  were  presented  to  begin  with  at  the  City  Hall,  later  at  Jacques'  and  at 
Poli's  in  1898  and  1899. 

Company  G  Dramatic  Club  in  1901  gave  an  excellent  performance  of  "The 
Girl  I  Left  Behind  Me"  under  the  direction  of  Thomas  D.  Freney.  In  this  the 
leading  people  were :  Oscar  Race,  Thomas  F.  Devine,  Edward  F.  Callahan,  Dr. 
John  D.  Freney,  Frank  J.  Kelley,  Michael  Peters,  George  T.  Jackson,  Robert  F. 
Robins.  Walter  J.  Costello,  Mrs.  Grace  A.  Cross,  Mrs.  Louis  M.  Donahue,  and 
the  Misses  Margaret  C.  Dillon  and  Jennie  A.  Freney. 

The  Elks  Minstrels  made  a  decided  hit  when  they  first  appeared  at  the  City 
Hall  in  1896.  In  1899  and  1901  they  again  appeared.  In  1908,  under  the  musical 
direction  of  Laslette  Smith  and  in  19 10  under  the  musical  direction  of  James 
Fulton,  their  performances  were  up  to  professional  standards.  In  191 1,  under 
Mr.  Freney's  direction  the  Elks  gave  a  successful  production  of  "McKenna's 
Flirtation." 

Among  the  Elks  who  took  part  in  these  delightful  performances  were :  Wil- 
liam Fogarty.  John  F.  Hackett,  Capt.  Wm.  J.  Shanahan,  Lewis  M  Holland, 
Thomas  Cannon,  Acly  W.  Castle,  John  H.  Cassidy,  Leo  Race,  J.  M.  Daly,  Robert 
T.  Bailey,  Ray  Bolger,  Jack  F.  Burke. 

The  Talma  Club  Minstrels  had  their  days  in  1904,  1905,  1906  and  1907. 
These  performances  were  under  the  direction  of  Thomas  D.  Freney  and  J.  Albert 
Brown.  The  1907  performance  was  in  charge  of  Mr.  Freney  and  Laslette  Smith. 
Among  the  principals  in  these  performances  were :  Doctor  Moriarty,  Martin  J. 
-McEvoy,  John  H.  Cassidy,  Joseph  P.  Kennedy,  Dr.  J.  D.  Freney,  William  J. 
Shanahan,  J.  M.  Daly,  Carrington  Gretter,  Frank  T.  Clark,  Daniel  F.  Lawlor, 
William  J.  Smith. 

Among  the  best  performances  of  the  past  have  been  those  given  by  St.  Mary's 
Hospital  Aid  Society.  In  1912  the  "Mikado"  and  in  1913  "Said  Pasha"  were 
given  under  the  direction  of  Messrs.  Freney  and  Fulton;  in  191 5  "The  Mascotte" 
was  given  under  the  direction  of  T.  D.  Freney  and  Isaac  B.  Clark.  In  1916  Mr. 
Freney's  own  delightful  comedy,  "O'Toole's  Busy  Day,"  was  presented.  The 
society  is  still  active  and  hopes  to  resume  its  productions  after  the  war. 

Among  the  men  and  women  who  had  leading  parts  in  these  plays  were  Dr. 
J.  L.  Moriarty,  W.  J.  Shanahan,  Cliff e  Carter,  John  F.  Hackett,  Wm.  Fogarty, 
Mrs.  Thomas  McElligott.  Miss  May  Longworth,  Miss  Myrtle  Blackman,  Dr.  J. 
I).  Freney,  Edward  Fay,  and  Miss  Winifred  Sheridan. 

A  notable  amateur  performance  given  under  professional  direction  was  "The 
Merry  Geisha,"  given  April  2$  and  24,  1908,  for  the  benefit  of  the  Boys'  Club. 
In  this  the  following  local  people  starred :  R.  T.  Bailey,  F.  Zulette  Wilson, 
Merritt  Tompkins,  Mrs.  Warren  F.  Trott,  Miss  Clara  Dibble,  Mrs.  Claude  M. 
Calvert,  and  Miss  Lillie  Haynes. 

Two  notable  amateur  performances  of  "Alice  in  Wonderland"  were  given  for 
the  benefit  of  local  institutions  on  February  16,  1901,  and  December  4.  1909. 

St.  Joseph's  Dramatic  Club  did  notable  work  along  these  lines.  In  1894, 
under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Freney  and  J.  J.  McDonald,  the  club  gave  at  Jacques' 
a  performance  of  "Ten  Nights  in  a  Bar  Boon]."  In  1895  and  1896  with  E.  L. 
Maloney  as  director,  it  produced  "Cast  upon  the  World,"  "Bound  by  an  Oath." 
In  1898,  under  E.  L.  Maloney's  direction,  it  gave  "The  Celebrated  Case,"  and  in 
1899  "Across  the  Potomac." 

The  Dramatic  Club  of  Waterbury  on  April  2j.  1910,  gave  a  memorable  per- 
formance of  "Arms  and  the  Man."  On  the  program  after  the  style  of  the  day 
appear  the  names  of  the  performers  as  follows:  Miss  Mason,  Miss  Frisbie,  Miss 
Smith,  Mr.  Andrews.  Mr.  Bryan,  Mr.  Hitchcock.  Mr.  Hart,  Mr.  Holcomb. 

Vol.  1—20 


306  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

"The  Chimes  of  Normandy,"  given  at  Poli's  November  5,  1909,  by  St.  Cecilia's 
Church  choir  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Fulton,  was  a  really  commendable 
musical  production.  So  were  the  performances  by  the  Daughters  of  Isabella  of 
"The  Mocking  Bird"  in  1909,  "The  Geisha"  in  1910  and  "The  Country  Girl"  in 
1912. 

The  College  Club,  organized  in  1912  by  resident  women  graduates  of  uni- 
versities, has  done  some  good  work  in  amateur  dramatics.  Its  best  performance 
was  "The  Honeymoon,"  Arnold  Bennett's  comedy,  given  with  the  following  in 
the  cast:  Miss  Louise  Holden,  Mrs.  F.  A.  Scott,  Mrs.  C.  P.  Rodenbach,  Mrs. 
W.  H.  Pierce,  Mrs.  J.  C.  Bradley,  Mrs.  A.  D.  Mcintosh,  Miss  Marguerite  Jones, 
Miss  Dorothy  Hart. 

The  Crosby  High  School  plays  have  always  been  happy  affairs.  In  recent 
years  the  students  have  given  "What  Happened  to  Jones,"  "In  Chancery,"  both 
at  Poli's  "The  Bluffers"  in  1914  at  Jacques'  "Liberty  Hall"  in  191 5  and  in  1916, 
at  Temple  Hall,  "Shakespeare,  a  Mask,"  the  very  able  work  of  Michael  C. 
Donovan,  now  principal  of  the  school. 

The  French  Dramatic  Club,  an  adjunct  of  St.  Ann's  Church,  has  given  several 
excellent  productions,  notably  a  French  version  of  "Friend  Fritz." 

There  have  also  been  excellent  productions  at  Leavenworth  Hall  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Young  Woman's  Friendly  League. 

These  are  the  principal  amateur  performances  of  the  period.  The  editor  is 
indebted  to  Thomas  D.  Freney  for  much  of  the  material. 


CHAPTER  XXV 
THE  NEWSPAPERS 

THE  WATERBURY  AMERICAN — ITS  NEW  BUILDING — THE  EVENING  DEMOCRAT  AND  ITS 
SUCCESS  DUE  TO  THE  WORK  OF  ITS  FOUNDER,  CORNELIUS  MALONEY  AND  PRESENT 
EDITOR,  VINCENT   MALONEY — IN   ITS   NEW    BUILDING — THE  REPUBLICAN  SOLD  BY 

THE  AMERICAN — A  SECOND  SALE  WITHIN  A  YEAR RAPID  GROWTH  OF  THE  PAPER 

IS    MOVED    INTO   ITS  OWN    BUILDING MODERN   EQUIPMENT POLICY   APPROVED 

BY   THE   PUBLIC INCORPORATED PRESENT  OFFICIALS WEEKLIES   AND    MONTH- 
LIES.   EAST    AND    PRESENT. 

THE  WATERBURY  AMERICAN 

The  first  number  of  the  Waterbury  American,  issued  December  14,  1844, 
by  Josiah  Giles  was  the  beginning  of  the  town's  newspaper  history.  In  1877, 
after  a  long  and  interesting  history  which  is  fully  narrated  in  Doctor  Anderson's 
History,  the  present  owners  of  the  paper  secured  control.  Among  its  stock- 
holders were  A.  S.  Chase,  who  became  president,  C.  R.  Baldwin,  Charles  F. 
Pope,  Charles  S.  Treadway,  H.  S.  Chase  and  C.  F.  Chapin.  In  1878  C.  F.  Chapin 
became  its  editor.  In  1889  C.  R.  Baldwin  and  in  1892  Charles  S.  Treadway  retired 
from  the  directorate  and  in  1893  the  following  were  the  officers  of  the  company: 
A.  S.  Chase,  president,  H.  S.  Chase,  treasurer  and  manager,  and  C.  F.  Chapin, 
secretary  and  editor. 

Arthur  R.  Kimball  became  associate  editor  in  1881,  succeeding  to  the  position 
of  general  manager  and  publisher  in  1907. 

In  August,  1892,  on  the  death  of  John  S.  Deacon,  the  position  of  advertising 
manager  was  assumed  by  Charles  H.  Keach,  who  later  became  business  manager. 
From  this  position  he  retired  in  191 6.  Burt  C.  Pike  became  advertising  manager 
in  1916. 

On  December  14,  1894,  the  paper  published  a  special  edition  in  honor  of  its 
fiftieth  anniversary. 

In  1894  the  company  began  the  construction  of  its  present  building  on  Grand 
Street,  occupying  the  structure  in  1895.  At  this  time  it  was  equipped  with  a 
Potter  press,  linotypes,  and  complete  stereotyping  outfit. 

In  the  fire  of  1902  the  walls  of  the  building  remained  standing,  although  the 
interior  was  heavily  damaged  by  both  flames  and  water.  When  the  work  of 
renovation  and  reconstruction  was  completed,  the  press  was  found  to  be  in 
excellent  working  condition. 

On  June  7,  1896,  Augustus  S.  Chase,  president  of  the  company,  died  in  Paris 
and  was  succeeded  in  the  office  by  his  son,  Henry  S.  Chase. 

THE    WATERBURY    DEMOCRAT 

The  Waterbury  Democrat  had  been  launched  as  a  weekly  in  July,  t88i,  then 
changed  to  The  Sunday  Democrat  on  January  7.  1886,  and  on  December  5,  1887. 

307 


308  WATERBURY  AXD  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

it  appeared  as  an  evening  paper  under  the  name  The  Evening  Democrat.  The 
success  of  the  paper,  both  as  a  weekly  and  as  a  daily,  was  due  in  its  earlier  years 
to  the  energy  and  progressiveness  of  its  founder,  Cornelius  Maloney,  who  in 
1882  had  associated  with  him  his  brother,  M.  T.  Maloney.  Both  had  learned 
the  printing  and  the  entire  newspaper  making  business  in  New  Britain,  from  which 
place  they  came  to  Waterbury. 

Its  business  manager  when  it  changed  to  a  daily  was  Edward  E.  F.  McMahon, 
who  remained  in  that  responsible  position  until  191 5,  when  he  resigned  on  account 
of  ill  health.  He  was  succeeded  by  his  assistant,  John  A.  Hayden,  who  is  also 
secretary  of  the  corporation. 

Cornelius  Maloney  died  January  5,  1914,  and  his  son,  E.  Vincent  Maloney, 
is  now  in  editorial  charge  of  the  paper.  Mr.  Maloney  is  a  graduate  of  Holy  Cross 
College,  Worcester,  from  which  in  191 1  he  came  direct  to  the  editorial  department 
of  the  Democrat.  He  has  held  all  minor  editorial  positions  on  the  paper  and  came 
to  his  task  well  equipped  with  newspaper  experience  and  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  his  community. 

The  paper  was  printed  up  to  1895  in  the  building  at  267  South  Main  Street. 

In  that  year  it  erected  its  own  building  at  71-73  Grand  Street.  This  it  occu- 
pied until  1 91 6  when  it  dedicated  its  splendid  new  five-story  block  at  53-55  Grand 
Street.  In  this  it  has  installed  a  thirty-two  page  straight-line  Goss  quad,  one  of 
the  finest  newspaper  printing  presses  made.  In  the  former  building  its  press  was 
a  twenty-page  three-decker  Goss. 

The  policy  of  the  paper  has  always  been  of  a  loyal  and  progressive  nature. 
It  stands  firmly  by  the  President  in  the  present  great  crisis,  has  espoused  with 
energy  and  helpfulness  all  the  financial  "war  drives,"  and  has  made  patriotism 
a  basic  principle  in  the  conduct  of  its  paper. 

The  Democrat  was  incorporated  on  March  23,  1914,  for  $75,000.  Its  president 
is  E.  Vincent  Maloney ;  secretary,  John  A.  Hayden. 

THE    WATERBURY    REPUBLICAN 

On  March  1,  1890,  on  the  retirement  of  John  H.  Morrow,  the  Waterbury 
Republican  which  he  had  founded  in  1881  as  a  weekly  and  in  1884  as  a  daily, 
was  purchased  by  the  American  Printing  Company  and  published  from  its  plant 
on  Grand  Street.  The  building  then  occupied  by  the  Republican,  destroyed  in 
the  fire  of  1902,  was  just  east  of  the  American  building.  Its  editor  was  Thomas 
Dudley  Wells,  who  had  for  some  years  been  an  associate  editor  under  Mr.  Morrow. 
Frank  T.  Parsons,  who  had  previously  been  in  charge  of  the  American's  mechan- 
ical department  and  prior  to  that  on  the  Springfield  Republican,  was  made  business 
manager  of  the  Republican. 

In  1898,  on  the  outbreak  of  the  Spanish-American  War,  Mr.  Parsons  began 
issuing  a  well-edited  and  newsy  Sunday  edition  which,  however,  did  not  aid  in 
putting  the  paper  on  a  paying  basis.  The  Republican  was  considered  a  subsidiary 
of  the  American,  and  as  the  policies  were  similar,  there  was  no  great  tendency 
on  the  part  of  the  public  to  take  both  papers. 

On  March  1,  1901,  the  paper,  with  its  Associated  Press  franchise  and  its  files, 
was  sold  to  Francis  Atwater,  publisher  of  the  Meriden,  Conn.,  Journal,  who 
moved  it  to  the  corner  of  Center  and  Leavenworth  Streets.  There  he  installed 
an  eight-page  Campbell  press  and  two  linotype  machines,  the  outfit  of  his  defunct 
New  Britain  Dispatch,  and  waited  for  purchasers. 

In  October,  1901,  Mr.  Atwater  sold  the  outfit  to  William  M.  Lathrop  and 
William  J.  Pape.     Mr.  Lathrop  came  here  from  Williamsport,  Pa.,  where  he  had 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  309 

been  managing  editor  of  Grit.  Prior  to  that  he  had  been  employed  on  the  Car- 
bondale,  Pa.,  Leader,  his  father's  paper,  and  on  the  Paterson,  N.  J.,  Press.  He 
was  a  thoroughly  trained  and  excellent  all-around  newspaperman. 

William  J.  Pape  had  been  city  editor,  business  manager  and  editor  of  the 
Passaic,  X.  }..  News.  He  had  been  the  correspondent  in  this  important  field  for 
the  New  York  World  and  the  New  York  Tribune. 

For  four  months  it  was  a  struggle  to  keep  the  spark  alive,  but  a  vigorous  and 
fearless  editorial  policy  and  news  columns  amplified  by  direct  receipt  of  the  Asso- 
ciated Press  news  on  a  wire  put  into  the  Republican  office,  and  up-to-date  local 
news,  brightened  and  strengthened  the  paper. 

In  February,  1902,  the  great  fire  which  crippled  the  American  was  an  ill- 
wind  that  blew  some  good  toward  the  Republican.  It  gave  it  an  opportunity  to 
acquaint  a  larger  public  with  its  policy  and  its  clean,  bright  news  columns.  On 
February  3,  the  morning  of  the  fire,  the  Republican  sold  13,000  copies.  The  result 
was  that  its  circulation  took  a  permanent  leap  from  2,000  daily  to  3,200  and  over. 

On  October  1,  1902,  the  paper  was  getting  so  strongly  entrenched  that  enlarge- 
ment was  decided  upon.  It  was  incorporated  on  that  date,  as  The  Waterbury  Re- 
publican Inc..  with  a  capital  of  $30,000.  Mr.  Lathrop  and  Mr.  Pape  retained 
control  and  moved  the  editorial  and  newly  equipped  mechanical  department  to 
the  Schlegel  Building,  on  Printers'  Court,  the  business  office  locating  at  47  Center 
Street.  The  new  equipment  consisted  of  a  sixteen-page  Scott  press  and  one  new 
linotype,  giving  it  a  battery  of  three  of  these  machines. 

In  1903  the  Trolley  strike  found  the  Republican  firmly  entrenched  on  the  side 
of  law  and  order  and  its  firm  stand,  its  determination  to  keep  the  American  flag 
flying  in  Waterbury,  gave  it  a  second  great  stride  in  circulation.  It  was  becoming 
more  and  more  clear  to  the  people  that  the  Republican  had  no  axes  to  grind, 
save  those  that  meant  a  better  and  a  cleaner  Waterbury. 

This  period  added  another  2,500  to  the  permanent  circulation  of  the  paper. 
While  it  was  not  making  much  money  during  these  early  years,  it  never  lost  money. 

In  October,  1906,  it  began  the  issue  of  its  Sunday  edition.  The  field  was 
unique,  to  say  the  least.  There  were  two  Sunday  papers  of  a  peculiar  kind  that 
reflected  no  credit  either  on  the  town  or  on  their  readers. 

The  Sunday  Republican  was  in  policy  and  contents  like  its  daily  issues,  clean 
and  virile.  It  was  not  a  paper  that  one  needed  to  be  ashamed  of.  The  result 
was  an  instantaneous  success.  The  Sunday  Telegram,  which  had  prospered  along 
its  peculiar  lines,  was  put  out  of  business  within  eighteen  months.  The  Herald 
took  the  cue  and  had  a  house-cleaning  of  its  columns.  Four  attempts  to  start 
scurrilous  Sunday  papers  since  then  have  all  failed. 

In  November,  1907,  the  Republican  leased  and  moved  into  its  present  location 
on  Grand  Street,  the  building  put  up  for  it  by  T.  F.  Jackson. 

In  1910  Mr.  Lathrop  sold  his  interest  to  Mr.  Pape  and  moved  to  California, 
where  he  is  now  located. 

In  191 1  the  paper  had  grown  sufficiently  to  warrant  the  installation  of  a  new 
thirty-six-page  Hoe  press,  the  finest  printing  machine  ever  used  in  Waterbury. 
Another  linotype  made  it  a  battery  of  four  of  these  machines.  In  1917,  with  the 
third  plant  installed  in  sixteen  years,  there  is  not  in  the  entire  business  a  stick  of 
the  original  outfit  bought  from  Mr.  Atwater.  Its  mechanical  equipment  now  con- 
sists of  its  fine  new  Hoe  press,  six  linotypes,  including  two  Model  9s  and  one 
.Model  8,  a  monotype  machine,  which  casts  much  of  its  advertising  display  type, 
a  Hoe  plate  finishing  machine,  and  every  one  of  these  machines  driven  by  an 
individual  motor. 

Tn  February.  1917,  the  Republican  bought  the  building  it  now  occupies. 


310  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

It  has  been  unswerving  in  its  support  of  the  President  during  the  war  period, 
has  espoused  and  is  espousing  with  all  the  energy  and  wisdom  at  its  command 
every  cause  that  benefits  city,  state  or  nation.  It  has  opened  its  columns  to  all 
the  publicity  needed  by  those  in  charge  of  the  Liberty  Loans,  the  Red  Cross 
work,  the  Tobacco  funds  and  all  activities  of  a  like  nature. 

Its  local  policy  remains  unchanged.  It  stands  for  the  best  possible  government 
and  for  the  cleanest  possible  city. 

THE  WEEKLY  AND  MONTHLY  PRESS 

In  1893  in  addition  to  the  daily  papers  there  were  in  existence  in  Waterbury 
five  weeklies  and  one  bi-monthly,  the  latter  the  National  Guardsman,  edited  by 
A.  C.  Northrop.  The  Examiner  was  a  small  weekly,  a  branch  of  the  Hartford 
Examiner,  and  was  edited  here  in  that  year  by  M.  J.  Brzezinski.  The  Sunday 
Globe  was  run  by  Cornelius  Downey  and  the  Sunday  Herald,  incorporated  April 
7,  1888,  by  F.  R.  Swift.  There  was  also  the  Valley  Catholic  published  by  Rev. 
Farrell  Martin  at  108  Bank  Street  and  the  Neue  Zeitung,  a  German  weekly  owned 
by  H.  Loether  and  published  at  19  School  Street. 

By  1895  both  the  Valley  Catholic  and  the  National  Guardsman  had  joined 
the  "journalistic"  great  majority  and  in  1896  there  were  two  new  recruits,  Our 
Church  Review,  published  at  36  North  Main  Street  by  the  Press  Review  Publish- 
ing Company,  and  The  Waterbury,  which  continued  not  much  more  than  a  year. 
In  1898  there  were  left  only  the  Examiner,  the  Sunday  Globe,  the  Sunday  Herald 
and  the  Neue  Zeitung  with  ownership  unchanged. 

In  1899  there  came  the  first  evidence  of  the  growing  foreign  population  in  the 
publication  of  II  Patriote,  which  was  in  fact  a  branch  in  Italian  of  the  Llartford 
Examiner.     This  lasted  less  than  a  year. 

In  1900  there  was  a  decided  change  in  the  newspaper  field.  The  first  new 
departure  was  the  entrance  of  the  Sunday  Globe  into  the  evening  field  with  the 
title  The  Evening  Globe.  Its  editors  were  John  J.  Splain  and  Henry  O.  Sullivan. 
It  was  published  at  11^2  Grand  Street.  C.  J.  Sawdey  was  its  manager.  It  had  an 
existence  of  less  than  a  year. 

In  that  year  N.  L.  Nadeau  began  the  publication  of  his  French  weekly  Le  Con- 
necticut at  36  North  Main  Street,  which  lasted  not  much  over  a  year.  There 
appeared  also  in  this  year  the  Boebachter,  a  German  weekly,  taking  the  place 
of  Loether's  Neue  Zeitung  and  under  the  ownership  and  editorship  of  its  present 
executive.  Max  Taschenberger.  It  is  published  at  209  Bank  Street.  These, 
with  the  Herald  and  Examiner,  formed  the  weekly  publications  in  existence  in 
that  year. 

In  1903  the  only  addition  was  La  Tribuna  di  Waterbury,  published  at  154  East 
Main  Street. 

In  1905  Le  Franco-America,  with  Jean  de  Vicqas  editor,  was  published  for 
less  than  a  year  at  199  Bank  Street.  F.  R.  Swift  still  ran  the  Waterbury  Herald 
and  C.  J.  Sawdey  had  started  the  Sunday  Telegram.  The  Examiner  became  the 
property  of  B.  Witkowski  and  was  published  at  43  East  Main  Street. 

By  1908  the  Examiner  and  Telegram  had  disappeared,  and  in  that  year  Ciro 
P.  Lanza  began  his  Progresso  del  Connecticut,  changing  its  title  in  1910  to  II  Pro- 
gresso  del  New  England,  published  at  59  Grand  Street. 

The  Sign  of  the  Cross,  a  religious  monthly,  was  published  by  Rev.  J.  A. 
Stansfield  at  644  Thomaston  Avenue  during  1909  and  1910. 

The  newcomer  in  191 2  was  the  Waterbury  Sunday  Times,  published  by  John 
H.  Curley,  but  which  existed  less  than  a  year. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  311 

La  Verita,  published  first  at  35  Center  and  later  at  199  Bank  Street,  was  the 
only  addition  in  1913,  and  this  is  still  in  existence  under  the  editorship  of  Frank 
DeFeo. 

The  Waterbury  Worker,  a  labor  paper,  was  published  at  108  Bank  Street  in 
1914  under  the  auspices  of  the  Central  Labor  Union,  but  was  discontinued  after  a 
few  months. 

In  1916  the  Waterbury  Sunday  Mail  appeared  for  a  brief  existence. 

In  1917  the  weeklies  appearing  are  La  Verita,  the  Italian  publication;  the  Wa- 
terbury Herald,  now  a  branch  of  the  Bridgeport  Herald  and  printed  at  Bridgeport ; 
the  Beobachter,  still  edited  by  Max  Taschenberger,  its  first  editor;  and  II  Pro- 
gresso  del  New  England,  still  edited  by  Ciro  P.  Lanza.  The  Waterbury  Herald 
Company  was  dissolved  as  a  Waterbury  corporation  in  1905. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 
WAR  AND  MILITARY  ACTIVITIES 

WATERBURY's    SHARE    IN    THE    SPANISH-AMERICAN     WAR CITY    PAYS    TRIBUTE    TO 

LIEUTENANT  FRANK  W.  KELLOGG,  ONE  OF  HEROES  OF  BATTLE  OF  MANILA  BAY  AND 

EIGHTY-TWO  VETERANS  OF  WAR THE  CALL  TO  ARMS  IN   I916 WATERBURY  BOYS 

MOVE  TO  MEXICAN  BORDER OVATION  BY  CITY  ON  RETURN DECLARATION  OF  WAR 

ON    GERMANY    FINDS    WATERBURY    IN    MIDST    OF    RECRUITING    CAMPAIGN THE 

NATIONAL  GUARD  GOES  TO  THE  FRONT THE  DRAFT THE  LIBERTY   LOANS THE 

RED  CROSS WATERBURY'S  MANY  PATRIOTIC  EFFORTS TRIBUTE  TO  ROCHAMBEAU. 

When  war  was  declared  on  Spain  in  1898,  Connecticut  and  Waterbury,  notable 
among-  its  cities,  was  not  slow  to  respond  to  the  call  to  arms.  Previous  to  the 
actual  declaration  of  war  all  state  military  organizations  tendered  their  services 
to  the  President  for  any  duty  that  might  be  required  of  them.  Regiments  were 
then  called  out  according  to  seniority  of  colonels.  The  First  Regiment  was 
named  under  the  first  call  for  troops  with  Battery  A,  Light  Artillery.  Under  the 
second  call  the  Third.  Regiment  responded.  Nine  companies  of  the  First  were 
mustered  in  May  17,  1898,  the  remaining  companies  and  batteries  on  the  follow- 
ing day. 

The  Second  Regiment,  which  was  then  commanded  by  Col.  Lucien  F.  Burpee, 
and  which  contained  the  Waterbury  battalion  of  the  National  Guard,  was  held  in 
readiness  for  service,  and  recruited  to  its  full  strength.  While  not  called  out 
officially,  the  companies  devoted  much  time  to  drill  and  to  field  work.  No 
Connecticut  organizations  were  called  into  service  in  the  Cuban  campaign. 

Among  those  commissioned,  however,  as  officers  of  volunteers  was  Colonel 
Burpee,  who  was  appointed  lieutenant-colonel  and  judge  advocate  of  United 
States  Volunteers. 

There  were,  however,  a  number  of  Waterbury  men  who  volunteered  and  who 
saw  active  service  in  both  Cuba  and  the  Philippines  with  the  regular  army  and  in 
the  navy  both  as  officers  and  privates. 

On  May  1,  1898,  the  naval  battle  of  Manila  Bay  was  fought  and  on  board  the 
cruiser  Baltimore,  one  of  Dewey's  fighting  ships,  was  a  Waterbury  man,  Lieut. 
Frank  W.  Kellogg,  who  was  among  the  wounded  on  that  fateful  day.  Lieutenant 
Kellogg  retired  as  captain  in  1914,  but  on  November  1,  191 7,  again  responded  to 
the  call  to  duty  and  is  now  at  the  Charleston  Navy  Yard. 

Captain  Kellogg  is  a  brother  of  Judge  John  P.  Kellogg  of  the  Superior  Court 
and  of  Mrs.  Irving  H.  Chase,  and  a  son  of  Gen.  Stephen  W.  Kellogg,  a  former 
congressman  from  this  state.  He  graduated  from  the  United  States  Naval 
Academy  in  1879,  was  with  Rear  Admiral  Benham  at  Rio  de  Janerio  during  the 
Brazilian  insurrection  of  1894  and  from  1897  to  1899  was  stationed  on  the 
U.  S.  S.  Baltimore,  where  he  distinguished  himself  in  the  now  world-famous 
naval  engagement. 

Since  then  he  has  commanded  the  U.  S.  S.  Indiana,  the  New  Jersey,  the 
Maine,  has  had  many  assignments  to  important  land  posts  and  was  retired 
June  30,   1 91 4. 

312 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  313 

On  October  20,  1899,  Lieutenant  Kellogg  returned  to  Waterbury  to  be  the 
central  figure  in  one  of  the  most  notable  civic  and  military  celebrations  ever 
held  here. 

His  Waterbury  townsmen  bad  arranged  a  parade  and  review  and  the  formal 
presentation  of  a  sword  of  honor  to  commemorate  his  participation  in  the  battle 
of  Manila  Bay.  Col.  Lucien  F.  Burpee  was  marshal  of  the  day.  Governor 
Lounsbury  and  his  staff  honored  the  occasion  by  their  presence.  In  the  parade 
were  all  the  military  and  civic  societies  of  Waterbury.  The  reviewing  stand  was 
fashioned  to  resemble  the  outlines  of  the  U.  S.  S.  Baltimore.  Mayor  Thomas  D. 
Barlow  presented  the  sword.  Medals  were  presented  to  eighty-two  Waterbury 
veterans  of  the  Spanish- American  war  who  were  on  this  day  jointly  honored 
with  Lieutenant  Kellogg.  Some  of  them,  including  Seaman  Shea,  who  was 
at  the  battle  of  Manila,  were  not  present.  Frederick  W.  Shindler,  a  member  of 
Battery  M,  Fifth  United  States  Artillery  and  stationed  at  Tampa,  Fla.,  and 
Private  John  B.  Porter,  who  had  been  in  Cuba,  commanded  these  veterans  in 
the  parade. 

A  medal  was  also  presented  to  Miss  Cherrie  M.  French,  Red  Cross  nurse, 
who  had  served  at  the  front  in  Cuba. 

On  June  18,  1916,  when  word  came  that  the  National  Guard  of  every  state  in 
the  Union  had  been  ordered  out  by  the  President,  for  service  on  the  Mexican 
border,  the  Waterbury  soldiers  made  prompt  response.  Capt.  Henry  B.  Carter 
of  Company  A,  Capt.  Roberts  R.  Hannegan  of  Company  H,  and  Capt.  J.  W. 
Carroll  of  Company  G,  within  a  few  hours  had  men  and  field  equipment  ready 
to  move.  The  three  local  companies  numbered  just  188  men,  Company  A  leading 
with  68  men,  Company  G  next  with  61  men,  while  Company  H  had  59  men.  The 
officers  of  the  local  detachment  of  the  Medical  Corps  were  Capt.  Edmund  Russell 
and  Lieut.  Thomas  F.  Healy.  The  junior  officers  of  the  three  infantry  com- 
panies were  as  follows:  Company  A,  first  lieutenant,  Wm.  J.  Shanahan;  second 
lieutenant,  vacant  at  time  of  call ;  Company  H,  first  lieutenant,  John  L.  Gray,  Jr. ; 
second  lieutenant,  Charles  E.  Hart,  Jr. ;  Company  G,  first  lieutenant,  Alva  E. 
Parsons;  second  lieutenant,  Matthew  Galligan. 

On  June  20th  the  work  of  recruiting  to  full  war  strength  (companies  of  150 
men)  began,  and  city  officials,  merchants,  manufacturers  and  professional  men 
announced  that  the  families  of  those  who  enlisted  would  be  looked  after.  In 
many  instances  full  salaries  were  paid  to  those  who  had  been  called  out. 

Finally  on  June  24,  1916,  with  their  ranks  nearly  complete,  the  three  com- 
panies left  the  armory  on  Phoenix  Avenue,  and  entrained  for  camp  at  Niantic. 
At  that  time  Company  G  had  more  than  its  quota,  Company  A  had  reached  121 
and  Company  H  was  at  112.  The  parade  at  noon  reviewed  by  Mayor  Scully  and 
Col.  Walter  H.  Chatfield,  U.  S.  A.,  retired,  gave  the  people  of  Waterbury  their 
first  opoprtunity  to  see  their  soldier  boys  in  fighting  form. 

When  the  Waterbury  companies,  with  other  Connecticut  troops,  left  for  the 
Mexican  border,  June  28th  and  29th,  W\  J.  Shanahan  had  become  captain  of 
Company  A,  succeeding  Capt.  Henry  B.  Carter,  who  had  been  then  over  thirty 
years  in  the  service.  First  Sergeant  Fitzgibbons  became  second  lientenant.  Cap- 
tain Carter  was  declared  medically  unfit  on  account  of  an  old  strain  received 
while  riding.  The  Waterbury  companies  were  stationed  at  Xogales,  Arizona, 
from  July  to  October. 

In  Waterbury  the  Red  Cross  raised  a  civilian  relief  fund  of  $500  a  month  for 
the  benefit  of  the  families  of  its  soldiers. 

On  Saturday,  October  28,  1916,  the  Waterbury  companies  returned  home  and 
marched  through  streets  crowded  with  a  cheering  multitude  estimated  at  60.000. 


314      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

All  public  buildings  and  business  houses  were  decorated.  The  marshal  of  the 
day  was  Col.  James  Geddes  and  in  the  parade  were  the  G.  A.  R.,  Spanish- 
American  war  veterans  and  many  civic  societies.  At  the  banquet  to  the  return- 
ing troopers  given  in  Temple  Hall,  Judge  Lucien  F.  Burpee,  Mayor  Scully  and 
Charles  A.  Colley  delivered  addresses. 

It  was  but  a  brief  respite  the  troops  had,  for  on  April  6,  1917,  war  was 
declared  on  Germany  and  the  call  for  volunteers  followed  immediately.  This 
was  the  first  of  the  enlisting  campaigns  and  it  has,  of  course,  been  continuous. 
On  March  28th,  nine  days  before  the  declaration  of  war,  the  Waterbury  com- 
panies were  on  duty  at  the  armory  nightly  awaiting  the  call  to  duty.  For  over  a 
month  active  recruiting  work  had  been  in  progress.  "America,  your  country, 
needs  you  now"  was  the  sign  on  the  tent  erected  on  The  Green  for  the  promotion 
of  naval  enlistments. 

The  governor  had  named  a  military  emergency  board,  consisting  of  Judge 
Lucien  F.  Burpee,  Benedict  M.  Holden  and  J.  Moss  Ives,  and  under  the  state 
law  of  March  9,  191 7,  it  began  the  organization  here  and  elsewhere  in  the  state, 
of  an  armed  constabulary  to  do  duty  as  a  home  guard.  The  recruiting  officers 
for  Waterbury  were :  John  M.  Burrall,  Henry  B.  Carter,  James  Geddes,  Patrick 
Bannon,  Thomas  F.  Hallinan,  Henry  W.  Minor,  Roberts  G.  Hannegan,  Wm.  H. 
Sandland,  Alfred  J.  Wolff,  and  over  five  hundred  were  signed  up  in  the  first  two 
weeks. 

On  March  26,  19 17,  the  aldermen  had  authorized  a  city  guard  to  be  armed 
and  sworn  in  as  special  constables.  This  organization  was  distinct  from  the 
state  body. 

The  Red  Cross  began  its  local  campaign  at  once  and  within  a  few  days  had 
secured  a  membership  of  over  three  thousand.  On  April  6th  the  declaration  of 
war  found  Waterbury  in  the  midst  of  its  "readiness"  campaigns.  The  recruiting 
offices  for  every  branch  of  the  service  were  in  full  swing. 

On  March  30th  the  first  machine  gun  for  the  city  guard  arrived.  On  that 
day  also  came  Maj.  John  L.  Hughes,  Coast  Artillery,  U.  S.  A.,  to  begin  the  work 
of  mustering  in  the  three  local  companies,  which  were  rapidly  nearing  their  war 
complements. 

On  April  18th  the  first  food  conservation  campaign  was  begun  in  Waterbury 
with  the  inauguration  of  gardening  clubs  and  the  planning  of  a  general  vegetable 
seed  planting  program  for  the  spring. 

Nor  was  the  war  fever  confined  to  the  American  born.  A  contingent  of  forty 
Albanians  and  of  fifty  Poles  left  Waterbury  early  in  June  to  join,  one  the  Serbian 
and  Albanian  troops  and  the  other  to  become  part  of  the  Polish  contingent  in  the 
French  army. 

THE  DRAFT 

The  draft  had  in  the  meantime  been  authorized  by  Congress  and  on  June  1, 
19 1 7,  108  deputies  who  were  to  register  Waterbury 's  eligible  men  between  the 
ages  of  twenty-one  and  thirty-one,  met  in  the  City  Hall  and  organized  for  work. 

A  remarkable  feature  of  registration  day,  Tuesday,  June  5,  1917,  was  the 
quiet  and  law-respecting  manner  in  which  the  Government  orders  were  carried 
out.  The  total  registration  for  Waterbury  was  15,566,  divided  as  follows:  First 
Ward,  3,682;  Second  Ward,  2,442;  Third  Ward,  3,690;  Fourth  Ward,  3,114; 
Fifth  Ward,  2,343;  Sixth  District  (Waterville),  295. 

The   Waterbury   exemption   boards  announced  June   26th   were  as    follows: 

City  Division  No.  1,  First  and  Fifth  wards:  Judge  of  Probate  Dennis  J. 
Slavin,  Dr.  Charles  A.  Monagan,  Capt.  Alfred  J.  Wolff. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  315 

Division  Xo.  2,  Second  Ward  and  Sixth  Voting  District:  U.  G.  Church,  Dr. 
Nelson  A.  Pomeroy,  Thomas  F.  Jackson. 

Division  No.  3.  Third  and  Fourth  wards:  Terrence  F.  Carmody,  Francis  P. 
Guilfoile,  Dr.  Dudley  B.  Deming. 

The  quota  required  by  the  Government  was  as  follows :  First  District,  490 ; 
Second  District^  229;  Third  District,  550,  a  total  of  1,269. 

The  first  men  called  under  the  draft,  Friday  July  20,  1917,  were:  First  Dis- 
trict, Adelbert  Auray,  1255  East  Main  Street;  Second  District,  Allie  Sely,  114 
Thomaston  Avenue;  Third  District,  Rocco  Lignofe,  181  Charles  Street. 

The  Second  Exemption  District  Board  for  the  state  was  located  in  Waterbury 
on  August  4th.  This  is  an  appeal  board  and  consists  of  Leonard  M.  Daggett,  of 
New  Haven;  P.  F.  O'Meara,  of  New  Haven;  Charles  R.  Treat,  of  Orange;  Dr. 
Dudley  B.  Deming,  of  Waterbury,  and  Darragh  DeLancey,  of  Waterbury. 

The  meeting  places  for  examination  of  drafted  men  were  arranged  as  follows : 
First  City  District,  Crosby  High  School;  Second  City  District,  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Build- 
ing; Third  City  District,  State's  Attorney's  office.  The  second  exemption  district 
board  for  the  state  arranged  to  meet  in  the  courthouse. 

On  August  14th  the  work  of  examination  began  and  on  August  20th  the 
Third  City  District  had  reached  its  quota.  The  other  districts  were  completed 
almost  as  speedily,  but  exemptions  for  physical  and  other  causes  kept  the  city 
district  boards  occupied  until  September.  The  Second  Exemption  District  Board 
for  the  state  is  still  holding  sessions. 

On  September  20th  the  first  draft  contingent  of  2  per  cent  from  each  district 
entrained  for  Camp  Devens,  Ayer,  Mass.  The  second  contingent  of  40  per  cent 
leaving  September  27th  and  a  later  contingent  of  43  per  cent  October  4th. 
Recently  150  men  were  called  and  sent  to  Fort  Wright,  Fisher's  Island.  Approx- 
imately 13  per  cent  are  not  yet  called  and  these  will  probably  be  summoned  under 
the  new  questionnaire  sent  out  late  in  191 7. 

The  Waterbury  National  Guard  companies  had  been  sent  to  Camp  Yale  at 
New  Haven,  April  3,  191 7.  In  September  they  were  encamped  at  Fort  Totten, 
N.  Y.    They  left  for  service  abroad  in  October. 

On  August  24th  the  First  and  Second  regiments  of  the  Connecticut  National 
Guard  were  merged  into  the  One  Hundred  and  Second  Regiment,  United  States 
Infantry.  Waterbury's  men  formed  companies  A,  G,  and  H.  They  are  officered 
as  follows :  Company  A,  captain,  William  J.  Shanahan ;  first  lieutenants,  John 
Fitzgibbons,  Ray  E.  Hall;  second  lieutenants,  Colin  M.  Ingersoll,  William  E. 
Murtaugh.  Company  G,  captain.  Harry  B.  Bissell ;  first  lieutenants.  James  A. 
Hagerty,  Fred  W.  Deaucar;  second  lieutenants,  Thomas  W.  Brown,  Leonard  J. 
Maloney.  Company  H,  captain,  John  L.  Gray,  Jr. ;  first  lieutenants,  Florence  W. 
Geer,  Joseph  E.  Murtaugh;  second  lieutenants,  Cyrus  C.  Washburn,  Edward  C. 
Bell.     Thomas  F.  Healey  is  headquarters  company  captain. 

The  Second  Regiment  is  commanded  by  Col.  Ernest  Isbell  of  New  Haven, 
Lieut.  Col.  Edwin  Lamb,  of  Hartford,  Majs.  Henry  Beebe  and  Wm.  Alcorn,  of 
Xew  Haven  and  George  Rau.  of  Hartford. 

When  the  National  Guard  companies  arrived  at  Camp  Yale  the  companies 
were  ordered  increased  to  250  men.  Companies  A  and  H  retained  practically 
all  of  their  officers,  but  Company  G  was  officered  by  men  from  other  parts  of  the 
state.  While  the  men  in  these  companies  are  largely  from  Waterbury,  the  order 
to  increase  from  150  to  250  necessitated  additions  from  many  other  sections  of 

the  country. 

The  officers  not  assigned  are  now  doing  duty  in  southern  camps. 

The  City  Guard  was  sworn  in  April  4,  191 7,  and  now  numbers  250  men.     It 


316      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

is  in  command  of  Maj.  D.  E.  Fitzpatrick,  with  captain  and  adjutant,  F.  J.  Lyon. 
Its  four  machine  gun  squads  are  in  charge  of  Capt.  Robert  A.  Cairns,  city  engi- 
neer. The  captains  of  the  City  Guard  are:  Company  A,  Ff.  G.  Littlejohn;  Com- 
pany B,  Peter  Griffin;  Company  C,  Wm.  H.  Monagan;  Company  D,  Edward  W. 
Beach. 

The  City  Guard  is  armed  with  clubs  and  automatic  revolvers  and  uniformed 
in  khaki.     Their  campaign  hats  have  green  and  white  hat-cords. 

The  Home  Guard  mustered  in  and  fully  equipped  now  numbers  about  five 
hundred  men.  Its  principal  officers  are :  James  Geddes,  colonel ;  Roberts  G. 
Hannegan,  major;  Chauncey  P.  Goss,  Jr.,  regimental  and  district  adjutant  with 
title  of  captain;  John  M.  Burrall,  regimental  and  district  quartermaster  with  title 
of  captain ;  Edward  W.  Beach,  district  intelligence  officer  with  title  of  captain. 
Captain,  Company  A,  Wm.  R.  Keavaney ;  captain,  Company  H,  Levi  Wilcox ; 
captain,  Company  G,  Thomas  A.  Jackson ;  captain,  Machine  Gun  Company, 
Ralph  T.  Benedict;  Headquarters  and  Supply  Company,  commanded  by  Lieut. 
Henry  G.  Littlejohn;  Ambulance  Corps,  Maj.  Dudley  B.  Deming,  Capt.  Thomas 
J.  Kilmartin,  Lieuts.  Edmund  Russell,  Edward  A.  Herr,  Edmund  W.  Goodenough. 
There  is  also  attached  to  the  Home  Guard  the  Waterbury  Company,  Reserves, 
consisting  of  ioo  men  in  command  of  Capt.  David  Miller. 

LIBERTY  LOANS  AND  RLD  CROSS  AND  OTHER  WAR  FUNDS 

The  first  Liberty  Loan  campaign  was  inaugurated  in  Waterbury  May  4, 
1917.  The  city  far  exceeded  its  allotment  of  $3,000,000.  Workers  in  the  fac- 
tories, merchants,  doctors,  lawyers  and  men  and  women  in  every  walk  of  life 
assisted  in  getting  subscriptions  to  the  loan.  The  banks  of  the  city  co-operated, 
and  made  it  possible  to  buy  bonds  on  the  instalment  plan,  $1  a  week  being  the 
required  payment  for  each  $50  invested.  There  were  7,100  of  these  subscrip- 
tions in  Waterbury,  totaling  $450,000.  The  campaign  closed  June  15th,  and  the 
total  subscribed  was  $8,040,000. 

In  March  the  Red  Cross  membership  campaign  was  put  under  way.  The 
object  of  the  campaign  was  to  enlist  3,000  additional  members  in  the  organization 
in  a  week,  and  once  again  the  city  "did  its  bit,"  over  3,200  members  being  secured. 
A  campaign  for  25,000  members  for  1918  was  under  way  in  December. 

The  plans  for  the  second  Liberty  Loan  campaign  were  put  in  motion  in 
October  by  the  committee  in  charge  of  the  first  Liberty  Loan  campaign  here. 
Judge  Walter  D.  Makepeace  again  headed  the  executive  committee,  and  his  asso- 
ciate members  were  selected  from  all  walks  and  stations  of  life,  and  included 
factory  heads,  bankers,  merchants  and  laborers.  The  Boy  Scouts,  fraternal 
organizations  of  all  classes  and  nationalities,  factories  and  even  school  children 
who  were  not  organized,  willingly  helped.  The  campaign  was  kept  in  the  public 
eye  through  nightly  meetings  on  The  Green,  at  which  addresses  were  delivered 
by  men  "from  this  city  and  out  of  town.  A  booth  for  the  sale  of  the  bonds  was 
opened  on  The  Green,  and  a  clock  erected  there  so  that  the  standing  of  the  cam- 
paign could  be  seen  at  all  times.  A  bell  was  placed  at  the  booth,  and  designated 
the  "Liberty  Bond  Bell."  Only  purchasers  of  the  bonds  were  allowed  the  dis- 
tinguished honor  of  ringing  the  bell,  and  its  ringing  appeal  reached  many  people's 
patriotic  spirit.  The  campaign  opened  October  2,  191 7,  and  continued  for  four 
weeks.  The  banks  of  the  city  were  kept  open  nightly  during  the  closing  week  of 
the  campaign  here.  After  the  last  report  had  been  sent  into  headquarters  on  the 
final  night  of  the  campaign,  and  the  entire  figures  had  been  finally  authenticated, 
it  was  found  that  once  more  Waterbury  had  far  exceeded  its  quota.     The  final 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  317 

report,  sent  in  to  the  New  England  headquarters  in  Boston,  showed  subscriptions 
from  this  city  amounting  to  $7,800,000.  Waterbury  was  among  the  first  ten 
cities  of  New  England  to  report  quotas  subscribed.  The  amount  allotted  was 
$3,650,000,  with  a  maximum  of  $6,150,000. 

Within  a  week  after  the  closing  of  the  first  Liberty  Loan  campaign,  the  Red 
Cross  campaign  for  funds  was  begun.  Waterbury  was  assigned  an  allotment 
of  $400,000.  which  was  larger  than  the  quota  of  any  other  city  in  the  state.  The 
total  reached  was  $436,907.09. 

At  an  allied  bazaar  conducted  in  Temple  Hall  during  the  week   from  April 
28th  to  May  7th,  for  the  purpose  of  raising  funds  in  aid  of  the  war-stricken  r^si 
dents  of  the  allied  countries,  the  net  sum  of  $48,000  was  realized. 

Another  interesting  campaign  was  for  the  War  Camp  Community  fund, 
to  provide  entertainment  and  education,  physical,  mental  and  moral,  for  the 
hoys  in  the  training  camps  and  cantonments.  The  fund  was  oversubscribed, 
totaling  $16,920. 

The  Jewish  people  of  the  city  contributed  $25,000  to  a  $10,000,000  fund 
raised  in  the  country  for  the  relief  of  the  Jews  in  the  war  zones. 

The  various  funds  for  miscellaneous  purposes,  including  tobacco,  candy 
and  others,  were  all  heartily  supported.  The  campaign  for  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
war  work  fund  furnished  a  surprise.  On  account  of  the  many  money-raising 
enterprises  which  had  been  carried  out  in  the  city  in  19 17  it  was  expected 
that  only  by  the  most  energetic  work  and  united  support  could  the  city's  allot- 
ment, $152,000.  be  gained.  This  amount  was  Waterbury's  share  of  a  fund 
of  $35,000,000  which  the  National  War  Work  Council  was  endeavoring  to 
raise  in  the  country  for  the  moral,  mental  and  physical  welfare  of  the  nation's 
thousands  of  soldiers.  The  most  optimistic  expectations  of  the  committee, 
which  was  headed  by  Timothy  F.  Barry,  were  exceeded.  The  fund  surpassed 
the  $152,000  mark  by  more  than  $63,000.  The  final  mark  reached  was 
$215,613.30. 

Shortly  before  Thanksgiving  Day,  the  Home  Sweet  Home  fund  was  started 
to  bring  Waterbury  members  of  the  National  Army  home  for  Thanksgiving. 
The  Waterbury  boys  were  stationed  at  the  training  camp  at  Ayer.  Mass.  The 
city  voted  an  appropriation  of  $2,000  to  help  defray  the  expenses.  Individual 
gifts  and  the  proceeds  of  benefit  performances  at  all  theaters  accounted  for 
more  than  $5,000  additional,  so  that  over  $7,000  was  on  hand. 

The  Knights  of  Columbus  began  their  campaign  for  $25,000  early  in  De- 
cember, and  this,  too,  was  raised  without  difficulty  and  is  for  the  purpose  of  adding 
to  the  camp  comforts  and  physical  and  moral  well-being  of  the  enlisted  men. 

The  new  draft  regulations  to  govern  the  examinations  of  the  second  contin- 
gent of  drafted  men  became  effective  December  15,  191 7.  For  this  service  medical 
advisory  boards  have  been  appointed  and  to  these  will  be  referred  all  cases  where 
doubt  arises  in  the  examinations  before  local  boards.  The  personnel  of  the  Water- 
bury board  approved  by  President  Wilson  follows :  Doctors  F.  G.  Graves,  chair- 
man ;  M.  J.  Lawlor,  Charles  Engelke,  A.  C.  Swenson,  M.  J.  Donahue.  D.  J.  Maloney, 
Carl  E.  Munger,  George  A.  Gosselin,  C.  H.  Brown. 

MONUMENTS   TO  ROCHAMBEATj's    \K>^ 

Dennis  H.  Tierney,  who  died  June  11.  1916,  devoted  much  of  his  time  to 
securing  belated  recognition  for  the  men  of  Rochambeau's  army  who  marched 
to  join  Washington  on  the  Hudson  through  Marion,  Waterbury  and  Middlebury. 
Four  regiments  undertook  the  journey,  starting  from  Providence.  R.  I..  June  11, 


318  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

1 781,  and  marched  inland  to  keep  their  movements  concealed  from  the  enemy. 
They  reached  what  is  now  known  as  French  Hill  at  Marion  on  June  28  and 
encamped  there.  Their  next  stop  was  at  Breakneck  Hill  in  Middlebury.  It  was 
here  that  Mr.  Tierney  in  1902  erected  a  commemorative  shaft  at  his  own  expense. 

On  June  30,  191 2,  the  shaft  at  Marion  was  dedicated.  In  his  address  at 
the  unveiling  Judge  John  Walsh  of  New  Britain  said :  "The  erection  of  this 
monument  was  advocated,  planned  and  designed  by  patriotic  citizens  of  Irish 
birth  and  descent  to  commemorate  one  of  the  most  important  incidents  in  the 
history  of  the  state  and  nation  when  the  great  army  of  France  which  had  sailed 
over  3,000  miles  across  seas  to  assist  the  colonies  in  achieving  their  independence, 
traversed  our  little  state  on  its  way  from  Providence  to  Yorktown." 

In  April,  1914,  Dennis  H.  Tierney  again  interested  himself  in  raising  funds 
for  another  memorial  to  the  soldiers  of  Rochambeau  who  died  near  the  East 
Farms  Cemetery  while  French  aid  was  moving  to  join  Washington  on  his  march 
to  Yorktown.  When  the  appeal  was  issued  the  response  was  immediate  and  on 
August  16,  1 914,  the  shaft  in  East  Farms  Cemetery  was  dedicated.  It  has  this 
inscription :  "This  memorial  was  erected  by  patriotic  citizens  and  statesmen  to 
commemorate  two  French  soldiers  of  Rochambeau's  army  who  volunteered  to 
fight  for  American  independence  under  Washington,  en  route  from  Newport 
to  Yorktown,  died  and  were  buried  here,  1781.  Contributors,  Governors  Baldwin, 
of  Connecticut,  Dunne,  of  Illinois,  a  native  of  Waterbury,  Glynn,  of  New  York, 
McGovern,  of  Wiconsin,  McCreary,  of  Kentucky;  United  States  Senators  of 
Connecticut  F.  B.  Brandegee,  G.  P.  McLean ;  Senator  Irving  H.  Chase,  Connecti- 
cut; Congressmen  A.  Lonergan,  B.  F.  Mahan,  T.  L.  Reilly,  Win.  Kennedy  of 
Connecticut;  Martin  Scully,  Mayor  of  Waterbury;  Alfred  J.  Wolff,  president 
board  of  aldermen ;  F.  P.  Guilf oyle,  corporation  counsel ;  school  children  and 
teachers.  Committee  of  erection,  D.  H.  Tierney,  Chas.  S.  Miller,  Ervis  E. 
Wright." 

Nearly  4,000  people  gathered  to  hear  the  addresses  and  witness  the  unveiling. 
Among  the  speakers  were  Governor  S.  E.  Baldwin,  Mayor  Martin  Scully,  Con- 
gressman Thomas  L.  Reilly,  Congressman  William  Kennedy,  Rev.  John  G.  Dav- 
enport, Rev.  Frederick  D.  Buckley,  Rev.  Luke  E.  Fitzsimons,  Rabbi  David  B. 
Swiren,  Charles  A.  Colley  and  Edward  Balthazar,  whose  address  was  in  French. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 
WATERBURY  IN  STATE  AFFAIRS 

WATERBURY  HAS  HAD  FEW  CITIZENS  IN  STATE  OFFICES — GEORGE  L.  LILLEY  A  NOTABLE 
EXCEPTION — HIS  CAREER  IN  CITY  POLITICS  FOLLOWED  BY  ELECTION  TO  THE 
LEGISLATURE    AND    THEN    BY    THREE    ELECTIONS    TO    CONGRESS — HIS    CONTESTS 

ATTRACT  NATIONAL   ATTENTION ATTACK  ON   GENERAL  PAPER  COMPANY FIGHT 

ON    SUBMARINE    SCANDAL — ADVERSE    REPORT    BY    CONGRESSIONAL    COMMITTEE — 
RETURNS  FOR  VINDICATION  AND  IS  ELECTED  GOVERNOR HIS  SUDDEN  DEATH. 

Perhaps  because  most  of  the  best  trained  minds  of  the  city  are  devoted  to 
industrial  or  business  matters,  Waterbury  has  played  a  very  small  part  in  state 
politics.  She  has  furnished  only  one  governor  to  the  state,  George  L.  Lilley, 
elected  in  1908.  No  resident  of  Waterbury  has  ever  been  chosen  United  States 
senator.  The  first  representative  in  Congress  selected  from  Waterbury  was  Gen. 
Stephen  W.  Kellogg,  who  served  the  then  Second  District  from  1869  to  1875. 
Thereafter  Waterbury  had  no  congressman  until  George  L.  Lilley  was  elected 
congressman-at-large  in  1903,  serving  until  1909. 

Minor  state  elective  offices  are  usually  apportioned  on  a  basis  of  promotion 
by  seniority,  tempered  by  the  traditional  political  deals,  but  the  local  habit  of 
sending  new  men  to  the  General  Assembly  at  almost  every  session  has  prevented 
our  representatives  from  obtaining  the  acquaintance  and  prestige  necessary  to 
obtain  a  following  sufficient  to  place  any  of  them  on  the  state  tickets  of  the  prin- 
cipal parties.  Green  Kendrick  was  lieutenant-governor  for  one  year  in  185 1-2 
and  Luzerne  I.  Munson  was  state  comptroller  from  1885  to  1887.  No  resident  of 
Waterbury  has  ever  been  secretary  of  state,  state  treasurer,  or  attorney-general. 
Waterbury  men  rarely  have  the  scant  pleasure  of  being  nominated  and  defeated 
for  any  of  these  offices.  With  the  exception  of  Walter  W.  Holmes,  who 
gallantly  took  the  republican  nomination  for  state  treasurer  in  the  forlorn  hope 
year  of  1912  when  the  republican  party  split  over  Roosevelt,  the  major  parties 
have  not  come  to  Waterbury  for  political  timber  in  recent  years.  Mayor  Kilduft 
was  nominated  by  the  Democrats  for  state  treasurer  in  1902  and  Mayor  Thorns 
was  a  prospective  candidate  on  the  state  democratic  ticket  during  his  era  of 
political  activity  but  never  got  beyond  the  stage  of  complimentary  votes. 

The  career  of  George  Leavens  Lilley,  of  Waterbury,  congressman  and  gover- 
nor, furnishes  a  notable  exception  to  this  and  adds  a  colorful  chapter  to  the  polit- 
ical history  of  the  city,  one  in  which  success  and  tragedy  followed  close  upon  each 
other's  heels. 

His  untimely  death  on  April  21st,  1909,  at  the  beginning  of  his  term  of  office 
as  governor,  was  an  appalling  climax  to  one  of  the  bitterest  campaigns  ever  con- 
ducted in  the  state. 

The  story  of  his  life  and  of  his  work  is  now  a  part  of  the  history  of  Water- 
bury. The  lapse  of  time  has  to  some  extent  wiped  out  the  differences  then 
engendered  so  that  the  perspective  of  his  worth  to  the  state  and  nation  is  becoming 
clearer  to  the  public  mind. 

319 


320      WATERBURY  AND  THE  XAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

He  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Oxford,  Mass.,  August  3,  1859,  and  was  educated 
in  the  schools  of  that  town  and  later  in  the  Worcester  High  School  and  Worcester 
Polytechnic  Institute.  He  came  to  Waterbury  as  a  young  man  and  with  Swift 
&  Co.  of  Chicago  formed  the  firm  of  Lilley,  Swift  &  Co.,  which  soon  controlled 
much  of  the  meat  business  of  the  entire  valley. 

The  partnership  continued  until  the  death  of  G.  F.  Swift,  which  dissolved  it, 
although  the  old  name  was  retained  for  trade  reasons  and  Mr.  Lilley's  brother, 
John  A.  Lilley,  became  the  local  manager  for  the  Swifts. 

Mr.  Lilley  was  one  of  the  largest  holders  of  real  estate  in  the  Xaugatuck  Val- 
ley and  indeed  in  Connecticut,  owning  extensive  property  in  the  heart  of  Torring- 
ton,  Waterbury,  Winsted  and  Xaugatuck.  Practically  all  of  the  comfortable 
estate  he  had  amassed  grew  solely  through  a  keen  talent  for  barter,  shrewd  fore- 
sight and  great  faith  in  the  future  of  this  industrial  valley.  These  marked  his 
transactions  in  real  estate  and  fructified  them. 

Mr.  Lilley  always  took  an  interest  in  the  municipal  affairs  of  his  town  and  was 
an  ardent  republican,  but  he  never  entered  politics  until  the  fall  of  1900.  With 
the  same  energy  that  marked  his  business  career,  he  entered  a  town  meeting 
packed  with  the  adherents  of  the  administration  and  denounced  its  extravagance. 
He  was  howled  down  and  even  threatened  with  personal  violence. 

The  ring  proposed  to  and  finally  did  award  a  contract  for  road  repairs  in  the 
sum  of  $35,000,  which  Mr.  Lilley  offered  to  take  under  bond  for  $3,500.  He 
offered  to  conduct  the  town  government,  which  was  costing  $180,000  yearly,  for 
$80,000,  and  when  later  he  announced  himself  a  candidate  for  the  legislature  with 
the  avowed  purpose  of  working  for  the  consolidation  of  the  city  and  town  govern- 
ments, he  was  elected  by  a  majority  close  to  1,000  in  a  town  that  was  at  that  time 
normally  1,500  democratic. 

Mr.  Lilley  introduced  a  bill  dividing  the  state  into  five  congressional  districts, 
when  the  state  became  entitled  to  that  many  representatives,  under  the  apportion- 
ment following  the  1900  census,  but  the  legislature  thought  it  wiser  to  provide  for 
a  congressman-at-large.  At  that  time  he  had  no  thought  of  himself  for  the  place. 
It  was  after  the  session  had  expired  that  some  of  his  friends  in  the  legislature  put 
his  name  forward.  He  determined  to  enter  the  race,  and  he  was  nominated  in 
the  republican  state  convention  in  September,  1902. 

On  the  succeeding  election  day,  he  was  chosen  by  the  voters  of  the  state  by  a 
majority  of  more  than  13,000  over  Homer  Cummings  of  Stamford.  He  was  re- 
nominated and  re-elected  in  1904  by  a  majority  exceeding  33,000  over  ex-Senator 
William  Kennedy  of  Xaugatuck.  In  1906  he  was  re-elected  for  the  second  time 
in  an  "off-year"  campaign  by  a  plurality  of  20,362. 

In  his  first  session,  Mr.  Lilley  made  a  vigorous  attack  upon  the  congressional 
"free  seed"  abuse.  At  the  1905  session,  Mr.  Lilley  renewed  his  battle  with  the 
same  vigor.  His  re-election  proved  that  he  had  not  lost  the  "farmer  vote,"  and 
it  put  some  courage  into  his  confreres  with  the  result  that  more  than  100  votes 
were  cast  on  Mr.  Lilley's  side,  but  the  measure  still  lacked  a  sufficient  number  to 
carry. 

In  the  fall  of  1904,  Mr.  Lilley  introduced  the  resolution  that  eventually  resulted 
in  the  trial  and  conviction  of  the  General  Paper  Company,  popularly  known  as 
the  paper  trust,  and  the  dissolving  of  the  combine,  which  had  artificially  advanced 
the  price  of  print  paper  to  the  newspapers  of  the  country. 

It  was  during  his  last  session  that  Mr.  Lilley  acquired  national  celebrity  through 
his  exposure  of  the  submarine  boat  lobby.  x\s  a  member  of  the  committee  on 
naval  affairs,  he  had  some  of  his  worst  suspicions  confirmed,  and  the  limit  was 
reached  when  its  appropriation  bill  contained  a  clause  increasing  the  number  of 
submarines  and  limiting  the  type  to  that  of  the  Electric  Boat  Company. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY      321 

Close  friends  of  Mr.  Lilley  insisted  that  he  virtually  died  of  a  broken  heart  as 
a  result  of  the  investigation  into  the  methods  of  the  Electric  Boat  Company, 
makers  of  the  Holland  submarine  boat,  during  his  last  term  in  congress.  Repre- 
sentative Lilley  asserted  that  the  boat  company  was  using  improper  methods  to 
influence  legislation;  more  specifically,  that  its  attorneys  had  framed  resolutions 
that  passed  the  naval  committee  (of  which  he  was  a  member),  and  that  gave  to 
this  boat  company  the  sole  right  to  bid  on  the  required  type  of  vessel  and  enabled 
it  to  overcharge  the  government  nearly  a  million  dollars. 

As  a  result  of  the  prominence  given  to  the  subject,  congress,  during  the  course 
of  the  inquiry,  rejected  the  Loudenslager  resolution  from  the  house  naval  com- 
mittee paying  $1,286  a  ton  for  submarines  and  threw  the  contract  open  to  bids. 
When  the  proposals  were  opened  at  the  navy  department,  they  were  found  to 
average  about  $850  a  ton,  on  which  basis  there  was  a  saving  to  the  government 
of  something  like  $800,000  from  the  prices  previously  paid  to  the  Electric  Boat 
Company.  Mr.  Lilley  and  his  friends  claimed  that  this  was  a  complete  justification 
of  his  course. 

Meantime  the  investigation  went  on  and  Lilley's  failure  to  prove  some  of  his 
incidental  charges,  such  as  the  alleged  contributions  to  the  campaign  funds  of 
representatives  by  the  boat  company,  wore  so  heavily  on  his  nervous  system  that 
before  the  completion  of  the  investigation  he  was  ordered  away  from  Washington 
by  his  physician  there.  The  report  of  the  Boutell  committee  was  scathing.  It 
declared  none  of  his  charges  proven,  said  that  he  had  acted  as  a  partisan  of  the 
Lake  company  of  Bridgeport,  accused  him  of  "inaccuracies  under  oath,"  and 
branded  him  as  a  man  of  dishonor.  It  was  the  severest  castigation  to  a  member 
of  Congress  that  ever  emanated  from  a  congressional  committee.  There  were 
twenty-three  conclusions,  nearly  every  one  of  which  denounced  the  author  of  the 
resolution.  It  was  so  severe  that  eighty-six  members  of  the  house  voted  against 
its  acceptance,  and  twenty-three  declined  to  vote. 

Lilley  returned  to  Connecticut  to  get  a  vindication.  He  was  already  a  candi- 
date for  governor,  and  was  elected,  but  at  the  cost  of  his  health  and  a  deepening 
of  the  wounds  received  in  Washington.  His  political  opponents  used  the  report 
of  the  Boutell  committee  as  campaign  material  and  their  chief  argument  was 
that  a  man  who  had  been  pronounced  unworthy  by  Congress  was  unworthy  of  the 
highest  honor  in  the  gift  of  the  state. 

The  state's  vote  made  him  governor  by  a  plurality  of  15,819  over  the  demo- 
cratic candidate,  former  Judge  A.  Heaton  Robertson  of  New  Haven,  a  director 
of  the  New  Haven  Railroad. 

He  died  at  7:26  P.  M.  April  21,  1909,  in  the  executive  residence  at  Hartford, 
of  acute  nephritis.  The  state  accorded  him  a  public  funeral.  Friday,  April  23, 
the  members  of  the  Legislature  acting  as  civil  guard  with  the  First  Company  of 
Foot  Guard  as  military  escort,  followed  the  remains  from  the  late  governor's  resi- 
dence on  Farmington  Avenue  to  the  State  Capitol,  where  the  body  lay  in  state 
until  10  o'clock  Saturday  morning.  At  that  time,  after  thousands  had  viewed 
the  remains,  impressive  funeral  services  were  held  on  the  north  front  of  the  State 
House.  Right  Rev.  Chauncey  B.  Brewster,  Episcopal  bishop  of  the  diocese  of 
Connecticut,  officiated,  assisted  by  the  chaplain  of  the  Senate  and  the  chaplains 
of  the  military  escort.  The  Hartford  Choral  Union  sang  the  hymn,  "Nearer,  My 
God,  to  Thee."     Former  Governor  George  P.  McLean  delivered  the  eulogy. 

In  Waterbury,  thousands  crowded  the  street  while  the  body  was  given  military 
escort  to  St.  John's  Church.  Troop  A  Cavalry,  the  Signal  Corps,  the  Second 
Infantry,  the  First  Separate  Company,  eight  companies  of  the  Coast  Artillery 
Corps,  two  companies  of  the  naval  militia,  the  Governor's  Horse  Guards,  the  Gov- 

Vol.  1—21 


322  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

ernor's  Foot  Guard,  comprised  the  militia  and  in  the  civil  escort  were  the  members 
of  the  Legislature,  state  and  city  officials,  congressional  delegates,  and  court 
officials. 

Thousands  crowded  the  street  approaches  to  the  church  and  the  entire  route  of 
the  funeral  to  Riverside  Cemetery.  The  Episcopal  services  both  at  the  church 
and  at  the  grave  were  read  by  Rev.  John  N.  Lewis,  of  St.  John's,  and  Rev.  James 
Goodwin,  chaplain  of  the  First  Company,  Governor's  Foot  Guard. 

Governor  Lilley's  widow  and  her  three  sons,  Frederick,  John  and  Theodore, 
have  since  his  death  greatly  increased  the  large  estate  he  left,  and  have  been 
active  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  community.  The  Lilley  Building,  the  finest  office 
building  in  the  city,  is  an  evidence  of  their  continuing  faith  in  the  future  of  Water- 
bury,  as  well  as  a  monument  to  the  former  governor. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 
WATERBURY  CORPORATIONS,  ACTIVE  AND  LAPSED 

COVERING  THE  PERIOD  FROM   1894  TO  1917  AND  INCLUDING  ALL  OLDER  CORPORATIONS 
THAT   WERE  LEGISLATED  OUT  OF  EXISTENCE  DURING  THIS   PERIOD. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  incorporations  liled  with  the  secretary  of  state  from 
1894  until  November,  1917. 

1894 

Date  of  Incorporation  Amount 

December  10th George  S.  Chatfield  Company $     1,000 

December  31,  1910  . .        Increased  capital  to 50,000 

June Miller  &  Peck  Company 10,000 

June  20th Tracy  Brothers  Company 50,000 

March  21,  1901 Increased  capital  to 100,000 

January  16th Bristol  Company 10,000 

1895 

February  16th Hellmann  Brewing  Company $  50,000 

February  8th Hewitt  Grocery  Company 5,ooo 

February  1st White  &  Wells  Company 50,000 

August  19th City  Book  Binding  Company 5,ooo 

1896 

October  24th Mattatuck  Manufacturing  Company $  30,000 

November  30,  1901..  .       Increased  capital  to 50,000 

May  2,  1907 Increased  capital  to 75,ooo 

February  3,  1910.  . . .        Increased  capital  to 225,000 

December  7th   W.  L.  Hall  Company 25,000 

March  17,  1909 Increased  capital  to 50,000 

January  1st Pierpont  Brothers  Company 3,000 

February  27th City  Ice  Company 3.000 

April  9th   E.  C.  Church  Company 25,000 

October  31,  1901 ....        Increased  capital  to 75>ooo 

May  9,  1903 Increased  capital  to 100,000 

1897 

November  1st H.  W.  Lake  Drug  Company $     2,500 

June  26th Trott  Baking  Company 30,000 

April  8th   Brass  City  Lumber  Company 20,000 

July  23d A.  S.  Chase  Company 100,000 

February  14,  1902. . .       Increased  capital  to 150,000 

1898 

March  30th   Shoe  Hardware  Company $  25,000 

December  20,  1913. .  .        Increased  capital  to 400,000 

323 


324  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Date  of  Incorporation  Amount 

April  19,  1917 Reduced  capital  to $100,000 

October  29th Waterbury  Battery  Company 10,000 

November  30,  1903. .        Increased  capital  to 50,000 

November    2,  1916. .        Increased  capital  to 125,000 

September   14th   .  . .  .Waterbury  Tool  Company 5,000 

August  28,  1899 Increased  capital  to 7,300 

July  5,  1900 Increased  capital  to 11,300 

February  12,  1901 .  . .        Increased  capital  to 14,500 

July  29,   1904 Increased  capital  to 40,000 

April  n,  191 3 Increased  capital  to 280,000 

February  25th Ziglatzki-Marks  Company   5,000 

1899 

Noonan-Kelly    Company    changed    from    Lake    & 

August  1 6th Strobel  Company $     3,000 

April  2,  1914 Change  of  name. 

December  30th Valentine  Bohl  Company 25,000 

February  17,  1910. . .        Increased  capital  to 150,000 

August  12th American   Printing   Company 75,ooo 

November  16,  1907.  .        Increased  capital  to 100,000 

1900 

February  26th Manufacturers'  Foundry  Company. $  10,000 

September  21,  1903.  .        Increased  capital  to 50,000 

April  3,  1907 Increased  capital  to 100,000 

May  2,  1913 Increased   capital   to 200,000 

August  31st Good  Will  Hatt  Company 2,500 

July  18,   1904 Increased  capital  to 5,000 

March  24th Great  Brook  Manufacturing  Company 5  000 

June  13,  1900 Increased  capital  to 25,000 

February  10,  1910.  . .        Increased  capital  to 75,ooo 

January  16th James  V.  Washburne  Company 5,000 

November  20,  1900.  .        Increased  capital  to 10,000 

July   13,   1901 Increased  capital  to 15,000 

April  6,    1903 Preliminary  dissolution. 

July  28th   Model  Laundry  Company 2,000 

August  15,  1910 Preliminary  dissolution. 

November   23rd Bronson-Krubbs  Company  1,000 

July  9th Chase  Rolling  Mill  Company 500,000 

February  20,  1902.  .  .        Increased  capital  to 800,000 

February  20,  1903.  . .       Increased  capital  to 1,200,000 

April  6,   1907 Increased  capital  to 2,500,000 

June  27,  191 7 Preliminary  dissolution. 

1901 

April  9th   Woodruff  Grocery  Company $  10,000 

October  23rd Waterbury  Paper  Box  Company,  Inc 25,000 

January  27,  1914.  . . .       Increased  capital  to 50,000 

May  2nd Reid  &  Hughes  Dry  Goods  Company 50,000 

Increased   capital   to • 150,000 

March  nth Brass  City  Drug  Company 1,500 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  325 

1902 
Date  of  Incorporation  Amount 

March  24th   M.J.  1  >aly  &  Sons,  Inc $  50,000 

June  2nd   Rowbottom  Machine  Company,  Inc 10,000 

April  17th  Sonora  Mining  &  Development  Company,  Inc 200,000 

December  12th   Waterbury  Realty  &  Investment  Corporation 30,000 

Waterbury  Music  Company  changed  from  Charles 

September   15th    ....              EL  Percy  &  Company 5,000 

December  30,   1903.  .        Change  of  name. 

May  8th Waterbury  Ice  Corporation 15,000 

October  1st   Waterbury  Republican,   Incorporated 30,000 

February  28th A.  F.  Taylor  Company,  of  Waterbury 10,000 

1903 

January  5th Hamilton  Hall  Association,  Incorporated $     2,500 

May  1 6th Hamilton  Hardware  Corporation 20,000 

March  13,  1913 Increased  capital  to 75,ooo 

July   1st    Sanderson  Brothers  Company,  Inc 15,000 

February  5th Waterbury  Hotel  Corporation 300,000 

July   23rd    Eagle  Brewing  Company 25,000 

August  7,  191 5 Filed  papers  changing  purposes  of  corporation. 

[904 

April  5th   Randolph  Clowes  Company $500  000 

July  7th   W.  C.  Langley  Furniture  Company,  Inc .  . .  .  25,000 

July   19,   1917 Preliminary  dissolution. 

January  23rd Waterbury  Brass  Goods  Corporation 500,000 

August  9th    Morden  Manufacturing  Corporation 80,000 

June  4,  1906 Reduced  capital  to 40,000 

December  15th   Xew  England  Electric  Supply  Company  changed  to 

Electric  Supply  &  Equipment  Company 25,000 

November  10,  1910.  .        Increased   capital   to 100,000 

December  27,   191 1..        Change  of  name. 

December  23rd J.  E.  Smith.  Incorporated 50,000 

March  9,  1910 Increased  capital  to 150,000 

December  30th   Hotchkiss    Company    changed    from    Hotchkiss    & 

Templeton,  Inc 25,000 

May  5,  1917 Change  of  name. 

Tune  28,  1917 Increased  capital  to 100  000 

May  nth Henry  Weyand  Company,  Inc 10,000 

July  25,   T913 Increased  capital  to 50,000 

September  20th Franco-American  Coal  &  Wood  Company,  Inc.  . .  .  10,000 

January  2nd   Credit   Clothing  Company 

August  3,  1905 Preliminary  dissolution. 

April  6th   Acme  Manufacturing  Company 2,500 

January  6,  1907 Changed  name,  Brooks  &  Richards  Manufactur- 
ing Company. 

I905 

March  6th   Xoera  Manufacturing  Company $  50,000 

January  14,  1907.  .  .  .        Increased  capital  to 75>0O° 


326  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Date  of  Incorporation  Amount 

December  5th French  Alanufacturing  Company $  25,000 

March  2,  1910 Increased  capital  to 50,000 

March  14,  1913 Increased  capital  to 100,000 

1906 

January  22nd Jones-Morgan  &  Company,  Inc $  50,000 

November  17,  1916.  .        Increased  capital  to 100,000 

March  22nd Equipoise  Rivet  Company 5,000 

September  17th Realty  &  Cement  Construction  Company 10,000 

June  21,  1917 Preliminary  dissolution. 

March  1st   Fulton-Driggs    &    Smith    Company    changed    from 

Fulton  Music  Company 20,000 

February  21,  1910.  . .       Increased   capital   to 30,000 

August  6,  191 5 Change  of  name. 

July  23rd O'Brien  Construction  Company 25,000 

November  2nd   Waterbury  Country  Club,  Inc 50,000 

December  24th Watertown  Lumber  Company 10,000 

March   16,  1912 Increased  capital  to 20,000 

July  7th Welton  Realty  Company 30,000 

Waterbury  Rolling  Mills  changed  from  Waterbury 

February  28th    .....              Metal  Company   100,000 

April  24th Change  of  name. 

May  7,  1907 Increased  capital  to 200,000 

November  2nd   Waterville  Corporation 5,000 

September  10th Connecticut  Oil  Company 2,500 

January  12,  191 1 ....        Increased  capital  to 22,500 

October  19th East  Mountain  Ice  Company 10,000 

March  24th Atlas  Machine  Company 10,000 

July  8,   1910 Increased  capital   to 50,000 

May  3rd Blake  &  Johnson  Company,  changed  name  from 

Blake  &  Johnson. 

January  30,  1908.  .  .  .       Increased  capital   to 120,000 

February  3,  1914.  .  .  .        Increased   capital   to 200,000 

1907 

September  24th Magner  &  Bear  Hardware  Company  changed  from 

Magner  Hardware  Company $  15,000 

March  29,   191 1 Change  of  name. 

September  18,  1912..        Preliminary  dissolution. 

.  February  25th Fidelity  Construction  Company 3,000 

April  22,  1914 Preliminary  dissolution. 

February  21st Naugatuck  Valley  Land  Corporation 50,000 

March  18th Negro  Business  League,  Inc 10,000 

April  2nd Pilling  Brass   Company   changed  to  R.   E.   Boden 

Company   25,000 

July  8,  191 5 Increased  capital  to 100,000 

November  27,  191 7.  .        Change  of  name. 

September  16th Waterbury  Trucking  Company 2,500 

June  27,  1910 Preliminary  dissolution. 

April  5th Willetts  &  Miller  Realty  Company 50,000 

April  5th   Waterbury  Foundry  Company 40,000 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  327 

Date  of  Incorporation  Amount 

February  14th American  Railway  Signal  Company $  12,000 

July  18th Child-Heron  Law  Corporation 25,000 

May  29,  1909 Changed  to  Connecticut  Rating  &  Adjustment 

Bureau. 

January  23rd    Citizens   Land   Corporation 50,000 

April  9th   Curran  Dry  Goods  Company 40,000 

October  7th Ajax  Manufacturing  Company 70,000 

1908 

September  22nd   .  . .  .Filley  &  Crane  Company $  40,000 

April  4th   Henry  Spinach  Contracting  Company,  Inc 2,000 

!\  I  ay  8,  1908 Increased  capital  to 10,000 

January  8th Union  Merchandise  Corporation 50,000 

April  25th Alexander    Johnston    Building    and    Construction 

Corporation    12,000 

October  12th American  Metal  Hose  Company 50,000 

February  14,  1913 . . .        Increased  capital  to 150,000 

May  15th Artificial   Stove   Company 5,000 

November  23rd Cheshire  Land  Company 12,000 

March  26th Citizens   Coal   Company 50,000 

December  18th   Connecticut  Footwear  Company 250  000 

January  8th Connecticut  Hook  and  Eye  Company 50,000 

October  31st Crane   Lunch   Company 10,000 

1909 

April  17th   General  Manufacturing  Company $  10,000 

May  27,  1913 Increased  capital  to 40,000 

May  13th Keator   Land   Company 50,000 

October  5th Increased   capital  to 100,000 

July  1 6th Ludington  Cigarette  Machine  Company,  Inc 50,000 

October  15th Mullings  Clothing  Company 60,000 

July  31,  1915 Bankruptcy  statement. 

March  17th Spencer  Grain  Company,  Inc 30,000 

October  19th Williams  Sealing  Corporation 100,000 

December  19,   1910.  .        Increased  capital  to 150,000 

March  6th   Waterbury  Castings  Company 100,000 

December  10,  1914.  .       Increased  capital  to 125,000 

January  29th Waterbury  Mattress  Company 20,000 

.May  20th American   Nut  Company 25,000 

March  19th Andrews-Douglas    Company 30,000 

September  5,  1912. . .        Increased  capital  to 60,000 

January  18,  1913.  . .  .        Changed  name  to  Andrews-Fairbanks  Company. 

March  29th Chase  Corporation    5,000,000 

January  27,  1913.  . . .        Changed  name  to  Chase  Metal  Works,  Inc. 

December  30th City  Lumber  &  Coal  Company 100,000 

November  19th American  Mills'  Company,  capital  increased  to 150,000 

July  7,   1914 Merged  with  New  Haven  Web  Company  and 

Narrow  Fabric  Corporation;  capital 1,200,000 

1910 

June  6th George  L.  Lilley  Company $     9,000 

November  19,  1917.  .        Increased  capital  to 450,000 


328  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Date  of  Incorporation  Amount 

April  28th H.  S.  Coe  &  Company  Incorporated,  changed  from 

D.  L.  Dickinson  &  Son,  Inc $  35,000 

June  8,  191 1 Change  of  name. 

May  3rd Hampson,     Mintie     and     Abbott,     Incorporated, 

January  7,  1914 changed    from    Hampson-Mintie    Furniture 

Company    30,000 

January  6th Maples  Realty  Company,  Watertown 100,000 

October  11,  1917.  ...       .Capital  increased  to 200,000 

February  24th T.  H.  Hayes  Company 25,000 

February  2nd   South  Waterbury  Land  Company 30,000 

July  2 1st   American  Sheet  Metal  Works 8,000 

April  28th D.  L.  Dickinson  &  Son,  Inc 35,ooo 

June  8,  191 1 Changed  name  to  H.  S.  Coe  &  Company,  Inc. 

1911 

September  18th Redmond  Realty  Company $  30,000 

December  12th F.  N.  Perry  and  Sons  Company 10,000 

November   17th    ....  Harols,  Incorporated 5,ooo 

November  15th Lindens  Realty  Company 12,000 

May  29th Town  Plot  Development  Association,  Inc.,  changed 

from  Town  Plot  Improvement  Association, 

Incorporated   25,000 

November  21st Change  of  name. 

June  9th Standard  Engineering  Company,  Inc 20,000 

November  5,  1917...        Amdt.  of  cert,  of  incorporation. 

June  1st Ralph  N.  Blakeslee  Company 150,000 

September  20th Waterbury  Welding  Company 10,000 

March  13th Wells  Estate  Corporation 60,000 

June  29th William  &  Brown,  Inc.,  changed  from  F.  J.  Brown 

Company    2,000 

November  25,  1914.  .        Change  of  name. 

October  23rd Woodward  Land  Corporation 50,000 

May  2nd Barlow  Brothers  Company 75  000 

October  6th Callender  Pharmacy 10,000 

April  10th Central  Development   Company   50,000 

December  23rd Charles  A.  Templeton,  Inc.,  changed  from  D.   B. 

Wilson  Company 

May  15,  191 3 Increased  capital  to 50,000 

June  9th Standard    Engineering   Company 20,000 

March  10th Clowes  Realty  Company 100,000 

April  10,  1912 Capital  increased  to 350,000 

November  10th The  Davis  &  Hawley  Jewelry,  Inc 40,000 

May  nth Eastern  Land  Company 30,000 

July  15th   Alexander  Dallas 40,000 

1912 

April  22nd Elton  Garage,  Incorporated $  25,000 

July  1 8th Mahaney  Company   50.000 

May  14th Hodson  Brothers  Company 25,000 

March  15th Martin  Bergin's  Sons,  Inc 10,000 

January  29th R.  F.  Worden  &  Sons,  Incorporated 13,000 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  329 

Date  of  Incorporation  Amount 

February  24th Massicotte-Kasdon-Morin  Company,  Inc $     5,000 

March  27th Middlebury  Land  &  Improvement  Company 10,000 

June  7th Metal  Specialty  Manufacturing  Company 25,000 

December  16th Seymour  Smith  &  Son,  Inc.,  Watertown 25,000 

August  2 1st Robinson  Tool  Works,  Inc 5,000 

April   10th   Taft  School,  Incorporated,  Watertown 300,000 

September  3rd   Taxi  Service  Company  of  Waterbury,  Inc 10,000 

August  12,  1913 Increased   capital   to 25,000 

February  24th Sanitary  Reclaiming  Company,  Inc 3,000 

September  20th Preliminary  dissolution. 

May  10th Warner  &  Abbott  Company  changed  to  The  Chas. 

F.  Abbott  Company 25,000 

November  17,  1917..       Change  of  name. 

January  26th Thomas  Kelly,   Inc 50,000 

July  12th Waterbury  Sand  &  Gravel  Company 20,000 

December  nth W.   H.  Lowe  Company 10,000 

May  10th Todd  Rubber  Company  of  Waterbury,  Inc 2,000 

February  15th Thomas  F.   Jackson   Company 50,000 

luly  9th Sonnenberg-Skinner   Company    25,000 

March  19th   Soroch  Pharmacy,  Inc 10,000 

April  30th Gervais  Brothers  Company I5»000 

January  20th Goldsmith-Chatfield    Company 10,000 

October  9th Andrew  C.  Campbell 50,000 

June  nth Autoyre  Company   200,000 

December  13th C.  E.  Johnson  Company 2  500 

December  20th   D.  E.  Carroll  &  Company 60,000 

September  23rd Decker  &  Scott  Company 50,000 

January  6,  1913 Changed  to  A.  O.  Decker  Company. 

I9L3 

February  17th H.  Davidoff  Company,  Incorporated $  10,000 

November  13,  1915..        Preliminary  dissolution. 

November  19th Waterbury  Scrap  Iron  Company,  Inc 10,000 

May  3rd Willett,  Rich  &  Willett,  Inc.,  changed  from  Rich, 

Willett  &  Swan,  Inc 9,°°° 

February  2,  1914. . .  .        Change  of  name  and  increased  capital  to 25,000 

January  17th G.  H.  Manville  Pattern  and  Model  Company 5,000 

October  15th Frank  Cruess  &  Sons   Company 40,000 

April  4th   Howard  W.  Connor  Company,  Inc 10,000 

January  24th J.  A.  Keegan  Company.  Incorporated 2,500 

November  18th Jones  Drug  Company 20,000 

April  1st National  Company 50,000 

September  22,  1916.  .       Increased  capital  to 250,000 

August  20th    Princess  Theater  Company  of  Waterbury,  Inc 8,000 

March  23.  1915 Increased  capital  to 25,000 

August  20th    Thompson  &  Bishop,  Inc 50,000 

December  4th   W.  R.  Keaveney  &  Son,  Inc 25,000 

April  23rd Watertown  Lawn  Club,  Inc 20,000 

February  21st Willard  Company 100,000 

February  7th Waterbury    Standard   Tool   &   Machine   Company, 

Incorporated   10,000 


330  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Date  of  Incorporation  Amount 

July   i st   James  A.  Hynes  &  Son,  Inc $     5,000 

November  12th Murphy  &  Reuter  Company 15,000 

April  10th   Boston  Fur  Company 30,000 

November  14th Bristol  Auto  Service  Company  changed  from  Auto 

Service  Company. 

June  14th Bunker  Hill   Company 6,000 

May  27th Chase  Metal  Works,  Inc.,  changed  to  Chase  Cor- 
poration. 

August  nth   A.  J.  Patton  Company 5,000 

January  6th A.   O.   Decker  Company  changed   from  Decker  & 

Scott   Company. 

1914 

March  20th Waterbury  Democrat,  Inc $  25,000 

November  21,  1916.  .       Increased  capital  to 75-O0O 

January  31st Novelty  Design  Company 10,000 

July  24th Pye  Company 12,000 

May  1 6th Morris  Spirt  Company,  Inc.,  changed  from  Spirt  & 

Amster  Company,  Inc 30,000 

October  27th Change  of  name. 

October  29th International  Top  Company 100,000 

March  6th Rogers  &  Davis  Company     10,000 

February  10th Model  Laundry,  Inc 10,000 

June  5th Standard  Wire  Die  Company 10,000 

December  13,   1916.  .       Increased  capital  to 25,000 

August   18th    United  States  Realty  Company,  Inc 25,000 

November  nth Welfare  Co-operative  Society,  Inc.,  changed  from 

Waterbury    Co-operative    Welfare    Society, 

Incorporated   2,500 

April  24,   1916 Change  of  name. 

July  24th United  Advertising  Company 10,000 

February  16th Waterbury  Iron  Works,  Inc 10  000 

January  22nd   Bantam  Lake  Ice  Company 50,000 

December  5th American  Laundry  Company 5>00° 

December  10th Charles  B.   Schoenmehl 300,000 

November  16th A.  M.  Larson  Company 10,000 

1915 

January  15th H.   L.  Welch   Knit  Underwear  Co.  changed  from 

H.  L.  Welch  Hosiery  Company. 

April  2,  1917 Preliminary  dissolution. 

October  29th Jefferson  Auto  Company $  50,000 

August  3rd   Waterbury  Morris  Plan  Company 100,000 

March  23rd John  Moriarty,  Incorporated 100,000 

February  3rd Malay-Wilson  Company,  Inc 50,000 

January  20th Musler  &  Liebeskind  Dry  Goods  Company 50,000 

December  30th Peters  Garage  Corporation 10  000 

July  17th R.  F.  Griggs  Company 75>0O° 

September  20,  1916.  .        Increased  capital  to 100,000 

June  30th New  York  Clothing  Company  of  Waterbury,  Inc.  .  6,000 

December  6th   New  England  Music  Company 2,000 


WATERBURV  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  331 

Date  of  Incorporation  Amount 

October  18th Waterbury  Cloak  &  Suit  Manufacturing  Company, 

Inc.    (Not  yet  organized) $  2,000 

April  9th   Reiner  Bros.  Company 2,000 

January  21st R.  C.  Field  Company  changed  from  Field  and  Feydt 

Incorporated   50,000 

August  3,  1916 Change  of  name. 

April  22nd Safety  First  Jitney  Company 2,000 

October  23rd W'aterbury  Metal  Wares  Company 50,000 

October  nth V.  Bohl  Beef  &  Provision  Company 200,000 

December  30th   W'aterbury  Drug  Company,  Inc.  (not  yet  organized)  10,000 

April  28th Rose  Cloak  &  Suit  Company 5,000 

April  26th Waterbury  Jitney  Service  Company    (Not  yet  or- 
ganized)      50,000 

February   5th    Wooster  Billard  Company 15,000 

February  10th W'aterbury  Jewel  Company,  Inc 50,000 

lanuary  20th W'atertown  Manufacturing  Company 25,000 

December  1st   W'aterbury  Auto  Radiator  Company  (Not  yet  or- 
ganized)      2,000 

November  15th T.  P.  Forman  Company  (Not  yet  organized) 25,000 

November  1st W'aterbury  Instrument  Company 25,000 

March  18th W'oodside  Realty  &  Development  Company 25,000 

December  10th Jacques,  Amusement  Company 2,000 

March  17th Boston  Shoe  Company 15,000 

June  iSth Buckley  Welding  Company 10,000 

December  6th   American  Fastener  Company 24,000 

1916 

October  27th Italian  American  Corporation $  10,000 

September  15th Hadley  Furniture  and  Carpet  Company 35,ooo 

November  28th Increased  capital  to 50,000 

April  22nd Louis  Leventhal  &  Sons,  Incorporated 10,000 

April  1 8th   Lithuanian   Merchandise  Corporation 50,000 

October  16th Elite  Cloak  &  Suit  Company,  Incorporated 10,000 

lune  29th Simonsville  Manufacturing  Company 25,000 

July  5th   Electric  Light,  Water  &  Land  Company 25,000 

November  16th Macey  Hook  &  Eye  Company 5>000 

September  13th Great  Northern  Tide  Water  Lumber  Company.  . .  .  50,000 

January  27,  1917 .  .  .  .       Preliminary  dissolution. 

May  17th Lakewood  Producing  &  Exhibiting  Corporation.  .  .  50,000 

October  3rd  Somers  Company,   Inc 50,000 

April  19th   Russian  Cafe  Company 5  00° 

May  nth Scenic  Amusement  Corporation  (not  yet  organized)  20,000 

January  31st Waterbury  Brass  &  Bronze  Company 10,000 

September  14,  1917.  .       Preliminary  dissolution. 

February  14th Waterbury  Press  Metal  &  Tool  Company  (Not  yet 

organized)    20,000 

March  9th   Waterbury  Pandajis  Lunch  Company  changed  from 

Waterbury  Presto  Lunch  Company 25,000 

February  24,  191 7.  .  .        Change  of  name. 

November  22,  1917.  .        Preliminary  dissolution. 

February  2nd   Richards   Manufacturing  Com]. any 15.000 


332  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Date  of  Incorporation  Amount 

July  7th Perriello  Cafe  Company $     5,000 

June  19th Waterbury  Tennis  Corporation 10,000 

October  24th South  Wholesale  and  Retail  Liquor  Company 2,000 

September  8th Waterbury  Cycle  W'orks,  Inc 2,000 

October  4th Waterbury  Homes  Corporation 100,000 

January  30,  191 7.  . .  .       Increased  capital  to 200,000 

October  16th M.  J.  Sayles  &  Company,  Inc.  (Not  yet  organized) .  3,000 

November  29th Waterbury  Building  Company,  Inc 2,000 

February  1st Louis  Matzkin,  Incorporated 2,000 

October  24th Jones-Smith  Supply  Company,  Inc 15,000 

August  5th Italian  Commercial  Corporation 25,000 

August  22nd Cert,  of  amdt.  before  organization. 

April  26th   Home   Building  Company 2,000 

October  17th Home  Builders'  Association,  Inc 50,000 

May  27th H.I.  Smith  Motor  Car  Company 25,000 

September  12th Increased  capital  to 50,000 

May  25th H.  I.  Smith  Land  &  Development  Company,  Incor- 
porated     50,000 

May  1st Mail  Publishing  Company  (Not  yet  organized) ....  10,000 

February  21st Apothecaries  Hall  Company 240,000 

March  29th B.  &  B.  Cafe 4,000 

April  22nd Barbara  &  D'Aurio  Company. 50,000 

August  23rd   Brass  City  Machinery  &  Tool  Works 5,000 

January  12th Bronson  &  Dennison 5  000 

August   nth    Bryan    Mahoney,   Inc 2,000 

December  1st   American  Land  Company 50,000 

July  1 8th   Heminway  Park,  Inc 50,000 

July  10th Clark  Undertaking  Company 5, 000 

January  20th Eight  Bells  Film  Company 25,000 

May  26th National  Manufacturing  Company 25,000 

September  13,  1917.  .        Preliminary  dissolution. 

1917 

September  25th Electrical  Contractors  Corporation $  50,000 

April  10th   .  .• Elinor  and  Grele  Hotel  Company 20,000 

April  5th   Guaranty  Painting  and  Decorating  Company,  Inc.  2,500 

September  29th H.  K.  H.  Silk  Company,  Watertown 2,500,000 

May  25th Grieve,  Bisset  and  Holland,  Incorporated 50,000 

January  3rd H.  T.  Dakin  Paper  Company 25,000 

August  3rd   Henderson   Brothers   Company 50,000 

June  18th J.  Viger  Company,  Inc 5,000 

March  26th Leary  Tbe  Florist,  Incorporated 6,000 

January  31st Ludington  Machine  Company  (not  yet  organized)  350,000 

June  1 8th Mattatuck  Land  Company 50  000 

January  8th Lux  Clock  Manufacturing  Company,  Inc 50,000 

June  9th M.  L.  Martus,  Inc 50,000 

April  9th   Manhattan    Lunch    Company,    Inc.,    changed    to 

Delco  Lunch  Company 50,000 

June  13th Change  of  name. 

February  14th Musler  &  Liebeskind  Clothing  Company   50,000 

July  25th   Metropolitan  Furniture  Company,  Inc 100,000 


WATKK15URY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  333 

Date  of  Incorporation  Amount 

March  24th Mill  Engineering  &  Construction  Company $  100,000 

October  18th Oakville  Drug  Company,  Watertown 10,000 

January  29th Sachsenhauser's  Incorporated 15,000 

September  15th United  Economy  Grocery  Company 30,000 

June  (jth Sofus  S.  Poulsen,  Inc 20,000 

September  20th Paterson  Silk  &  Dress  Goods  Stores,  Inc 10,000 

February  1  st T.  G.  Smith  Company 25  000 

November  27th Waterbury  Company,  Incorporated 25,000 

May  24th White  Farm  Company  (not  yet  organized) 35,ooo 

November  27th F.  L.  Garrigus  Company 25,000 

March  29th White  City  Furrier,  Inc 3,000 

July  28th Waterbury  Lumber  Company,  Inc 200,000 

April  13th  Waterbury  Fastener  Company 25,000 

January  1 8th Waterbury  Provision  Company,  Inc 10,000 

November    13th    ...  .Waterbury  Burial  Company  (not  yet  organized) .  5,000 

June  15th Waterbury  Theatre  Company,  Inc 5,000 

September  27th Waterbury   Insurance  Agency   Corporation,   Inc. 

(not  yet  organized) 2,200 

September  22d   Archie  T.  Jones  Company , 10,000 

March  21st Auto  Gas  Register  Company 300,000 

January  17th Bay  Colony  Development  Company 50,000 

March  16th   Brooklyn  Battery  Company 15,000 

October  10th Eberich  &  Hahn 5,000 

September  20th Economy  Grocery  Company 10,000 

March  23d Chase    Companies,   changed    from    Chase    Metal 

Works. 

March  20th Albert  &  Popoa,  Inc 3,000 

August  21  st Coca-Cola  Bottling  Company  of  Waterbury 25,000 

September  nth Conn.  Brass  Foundry  Company 10.000 

March  2d Dueseer  Brothers,  Inc 20,000 

DISSOLVED  CORPORATIONS  INCORPORATED  DURING  THE  PERIOD  BETWEEN 

1894  AND    I917 

Incorporations  of  1894  Legislated  Out  of  Existence 

Specialty  Manufacturing  Company  (Watertown) 1905 

River  Company 1913 

Waterbury  Hotel  Company I9°5 

Waterbury  Coffee  House  Company 1905 

Yeoman's  Pharmaceutical  Company  1905 

Waterbury  Women's  Exchange  Company 1905 

H.  J.  Lapalme  Company i9°5 

Incorporations  of   1895  Legislated  Out  of  Existence 

Washburne  Manufacturing  Company 1905 

Holmes  &  Bassett  Company i9°5 

Bernatchez  Box  Manufacturing  Company 1905 

Incorporations  of  1896  Legislated  Out  of  Existence 

Waterbury  Wrench  Company I9°5 

Victor  Manufacturing  Company I9°5 

Dews  &  Weller  Company I9°5 

Democrat  Publishing  Company I9°5 

Xutmeg  Artesian  Well  Company I9°5 


334  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Incorporations  of  1897  Legislated  Out  of  Existence 

C.  M.  Truman  Hotel  Company 1905 

Spencer  &  Pierpont  Company icj^ 

W.  H.  Hoffman  Company 1916 

Waterbury   Furniture    Company 1905 

Manville  Brothers  Company I9I3 

Waterville  Water  Company 1905 

Incorporations  of   1898  Legislated  Out  of  Existence 

Waterbury  Wire  Die  Company 1916 

Gem  Manufacturing  Company 1905 

L.  M.  Sagal  Company 1905 

Sellew  Wallace  Company 1914 

Waterbury  Beef  &  Provision  Company 1905 

Incorporations  of  1899  Legislated  Out  of  Existence 

E.  H.  Towle  Company 19'1S 

Brook  Company    1905 

L.  H.  Toucey  Company 191 5 

Mattatuck  Drug  Company 1905 

Domestic  Pie  Baking  Company,  dis.  by  Court 1905 

Globe  Publishing  Company 1905 

Heater  Curtiss  Company 1905 

Turnbull  Company   191 1 

Waterbury  Telephone  Company !9C>5 

Incorporations  of   1900  Legislated  Out  of  Existence 

C.  L.  Missel  Company  ( Watertown) 1913 

City  Contracting  Company 1905 

Cromwell  Electric  Company !905 

Crawford  Supply  Company :9°5 

F.  W.  Dains  Company 1905 

Robbins  Forging  &  Horse  Shoeing  Company 1905 

Waterbury  Plumbing  &  Heating  Company 1905 

White-Simmons  Company 1905 

Incorporations  of  1901  Legislated  Out  of  Existence 

American  Cloak  &  Fur  Company 1905 

Hotchkiss  Paper  Company,  Inc 1913 

Mattatuck  Lumber  Company,  Inc !905 

Nevermyss   Fire   Extinguisher  Company,   Inc 1905 

Incorporation  of   1902                                                      Legislated  Out  of  Existence 
American  Automatic  Switch  Company,  Inc 191 1 

Incorporations  of   1903  Legislated  Out  of  Existence 

William  T.  Disley  Company,  Inc 191 1 

Queens  Land  Company,  Inc J905 

United  States  Land  Corporation 1912 

Waterbury  Hardware  Company,  Inc 191 1 

Arthur  Bradley  Company 1912 

Gagain  Livery  Stable  Company,  Inc !905 

Gaffney  Jewelry  Company,  Inc 191 1 

Erdman  Manufacturing  Corporation 1905 

Jamaica  Land  Company,  Inc J905 

Quick-O-Manufacturing  Company,  Inc 191 1 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  335 

Incorporations  of   1904  Legislated  Out  of  Existence 

Liberty  Manufacturing  Company 1917 

John   1 1.  Taylor  Company   (Watertown) 1910 

Crescent  Meat  &  Provision  Company 191 1 

Kenworthy  Engineering  &  Construction  Company 1907 

F.  II.  Lewis  Company 1916 

M.  J.  Ashborn  &  Company,  Inc 191 1 

Waterbury  Cigar  Company,  Inc 191 1 

Mattatuck    Piano    Company 191 1 

Victor  Bernier  Corporation 191 1 

Waterbury  &  Auburndale  Land  Company,  Inc 191 1 

Waterbury  Crucible  Company 191 1 

Incorporations  of   1905  Legislated  Out  of  Existence 

Austin  &  Woodruff  Company,  Inc 1914 

American  Realty  Company JQO/ 

H.  J.  Lapalme  Company J909 

Potter-Foote   Paper  Company J9I4 

James  F.  Gaffney  &  Company,  Inc 191 1 

Old  Buxton  Distilling  Company,  Inc 191 1 

Waterbury  Electric  Company,  Inc 191 1 

Waterbury  Market  Company,  Inc 191 1 

Incorporations  of   1906  Legislated  Out  of  Existence 

Book  Novelty  Company,  Inc 191 1 

Burnham  Specialty  Company 191 5 

Buckingham  Pharmacy  Company I9I4 

Brass  City  Realty  Corporation 1916 

Geo.  N.  Ells  Company 1917 

Metallic  Ink  Company 1912 

Model  Market  Company 1912 

Bristol  Automobile  Company 1914 

Risdon  Tool  Works,  Inc 1910 

Swiss  Dial  Company,  Inc 191 1 

Waterbury  Athletic  Corporation 191 1 

Waterbury  Automobile  Company !9J4 

Waterbury  Casino  Company 191 1 

National  Bath  Room  Fittings  Corporation !9J4 

Waterbury  Tent  Company 191 1 

White  Shoe  Company 1910 

Incorporations  of   1907  Legislated  Out  of  Existence 

Pythian  Hall  Company  of  Waterbury,  Inc 191 1 

S.  &  L.  Chotzianoff  Building  Company 191 1 

Waterbury  Light  &  Equipment  Company 191 1 

Star  Cloak  Company 191  x 

Industrial  Instrument  Company I9X5 

Waterbury  Land  &  Construction  Company 1914 

Waterbury  &  New  York  Real  Estate  Company 191 5 

Incorporations  of  1908  Legislated  Out  of  Existence 

American  Manufacturing  Company,  Inc 1916 

Chotzianoff  Building  Company 191  x 

F.  L.  Marks  &  Company,  Inc 191  * 

Prospect  Manufacturing  Company 1912 

Spearo  Clothing  Company igi2 


336 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 


Royal  Ink  and  Bronze  Manufacturing  Company 

Standard  Gauge  Manufacturing  Company 

Swenson  Grocery  Company 

W.  B.  S.  Automobile  Company 

Waterbury  Enamel  Company 

Waterbury  Investment  &  Development  Company 

Young  Concrete  &  Construction  Company 

Incorporations  of   1909  Legislated  Out  of 

Arthur  E.  Benson,  Inc 

R.  R.  Harder  &  Company,  Inc 

Waterbury  and  Mapleton  Realty  Company 

Waterbury  Trotting  Association,  Incorporated 

Incorporations  of   1910  Legislated  Out  of 

Milwaukee  Bottling  Company 

Brass  City  Manufacturing  Company 

August  L.  Gauthier,  Inc 

Holder  Manufacturing  Company 

Milwaukee  Beer  Company 

Star  Garage  Auto  Company,  Inc 

Standard  Safety  Pin  Company 

Securities  Sales  Company 

W.  S.  Carberry  Company 

Waterbury  Awning  Company 

Incorporations  of   191 1  Legislated  Out  of 

Callegaris  Building  &  Improvement  Corporation 

Connecticut  Bed  Spring  Company 

Brennan  &  Kane  Company 

Boulevard  Company 

Ideal  Specialty  Company,  Inc 

McKinney  Land  &  Improvement  Company 

Pollak  Art  Company 

Waterbury  Metal  Products  Company 

Incorporations  of   1912  Legislated  Out  of 

French   Pharmacy,    Inc 

American  Amusement  Company,  Inc 

Brooklyn  Liquor  Company 

Coffey's  Lunch  Corporation 

G.  G.  Riggs  Company 

Guarantee  Plumbing  Company 

Ideal  Building  Company 

Hub  Hotel  Company 

Waterbury  Market  Company 

Waterbury  Hair  Spring  Company,  Inc 

Waterville  Sales  Company 

Leavitt  Department  Store,  Inc 

Peterson  &  Nichols,  Inc 

Modern  Cloak  &  Suit  Company 

South  Dakota  Land  Corporation 

Naugatuck  Valley  Coal  Company 

Incorporations  of  191 3  Legislated  Out  of 

American  Implement  Company 

Bergman  Company  


2 

5 

7 
2 

6 

[6 

4 


Existence 
1 

5 

5 
2 

Existence 

4 

5 

3 

5 

3 

4 

4 

5 

3 

4_ 
Existence 

7 
3 

5 

7 

2 

4 
7 
5. 
Existence 

7 

4 

5 

5 
6 

5 
4 
5 
4 
7 
4 
7 
5 
5 
6 

5< 
Existence 

6 

6 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATLCK  VALLEY 


337 


East  Side  Garage,  Incorporated 

I\  A.  Wenzel  Company 

George  J.  Gailey  Company 

H.  G.  Miller  Company 

Royal  Ladies  Tailoring  Company,  Inc 

Waterbury  Wall  Taper  Company 

Incorporations  of   1914 

American   Dial   Company 

Connecticut  Lunch  Corporation 

Fashion  Shop,  Inc 

Depot  Cafe  Company , 

I  aix  Clock  Company , 

Pakville  Wagon  Works,  Inc.  (Watertown) .  , 

P.  F.  Shea  &  Company,  Inc 

People's   Coal    Company , 

\\  aterbury  Amusement  Company 

Incorporations  of  191 5 

Standard  Realty  &  Development  Company .  . . 

Globe  Clothing  Company  of  Waterbury,  Inc, 


Legislated  Out  of 


Legislated  Out  of 


1916 

1915 
1915 

1915 

1917 

1916 

Existence 
1917 
1917 
1917 
1917 
1916 
1916 
1917 
1917 
1917 

Existence 
1917 
1917 


DISSOLVED    CORPORATIONS 


The  following  is  a  list  of  Waterbury  corporations  incorporated  prior  to  1894 
and  dissolved  after  that  period. 

DISSOLVED    IN    I 899 

Incorporated 

1893 — Globe  Publishing  Company. 

DISSOLVED    IN    I9O4 


Incorporated 

1889 — Seeley  &  Upham  Company. 


DISSOLVED    IN    I9O5 


Incorporated 
1883 — Chadwick  Butter  Company. 
1883 — Chapman  &  Armstrong  Mfg.  Co. 
1876 — People's  Coal  &  Ice  Company. 
1888 — Woodworth  &  White  Company. 
1 89 1 — Waterbury  Smelting  &  Refining 

Company. 
t 888— Waterbury  Re-cut  File  Co. 
1884 — Waterbury   One   Price   Clothing 

Company. 
1892 — Waterbury  Metal  Bending  Co. 
1893 — Waterbury  Spoke  &  Handle  Co. 
1 89 1 — Waterbury  Supply  Company. 
[887 — Waterbury  Malleable  Iron  Co. 
1873 — Waterbury  Manufacturing  Co. 
1869 — Terry  Clock  Company. 


Incorporated 

1879 — Waterbury  Needle  Company. 
1866 — Waterbury  Brick  Company. 
1891 — Waterbury  Drug  Company. 
1886 — Waterbury  Electric  Company. 
189 1 — Waterbury  Grocery  Company. 
1883 — New  England  Box  Company. 
1887 — Pearl  Lake  Manufacturing  Co. 
1803 — Reed  Re-Cut  File  Company. 
1873— Matthews  &  Stanley  Mfg.  Co. 
[853 — Brown  &  Brothers. 
[893 — L.  F.  I  Taase  Company. 
[89] — Lang  Brothers  Company. 
[891 — Henderson  &  Baird  Company. 
1888 — Hillside  School  Corporation. 
1893 — H.  W.  Keeler  Company. 


Vol.  1—22 


338 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 


Incorporated 

1878 — Toltec  Mining  Company. 

1889 — Jericho  Granite  Company. 

1868 — A.  Burritt  Hardware  Company. 

1852 — Steele  &  Johnson  Mfg.  Co. 

1877 — Union  Brick  Company. 

1892 — Waterbury  Casting  Company. 

1891 — Waterbury  Amusement  Co.  m 

1881 — Old  Globe  Copper  Company. 

1885 — Waterbury  Baseball  Company. 

1889 — Waterbury  Automatic  Advertis- 
ing Company. 

1852 — Pickett,  Turrell  &  Company. 

1876 — Piatt  Mill  Company. 

1 89 1 — Plymouth  Granite  Company. 

1891 — Naugatuck  Granite  Company. 

1882 — Matthews  &  Willard  Company. 

1 89 1 — Metal  Perforating  Company. 

1882 — Waterbury  Horse  Nail  Company. 

1888 — Waterbury  Herald  Publishing 
Company. 

1844 — Waterbury  Foundry  Company. 

1887 — Waterbury  Toboggan  Company. 

1854 — -Union  Sash  &  Blind  Company. 

1864 — Union  Spectacle  Works. 

1865 — United  States  Button  Company. 

1889— Union  Electric  Company. 

1885 — Sleeman  Gas  Saving  Company. 

1888 — Republican  Printing  Company. 


Incorporated 

1867 — Hay  den  &  Griggs  Mfg.  Co. 

1885 — New  England  Wochenblatt  Co. 

1887 — Guadaloupe  Cattle  Company. 

1 88 1 — Cleveland  Cigar  Mfg.  Co. 

1891 — City  Drug  Company. 

1887 — City  Drug  Store  Company. 

1893 — City  Grocery  Company. 

1862 — Waterville    Knife   Co.    (Water- 

ville). 
1847 — Waterville  Manufacturing  Co. 
1890 — B.  Ball  Milk  Company. 
1866 — Barnard,  Son  &  Company. 
1878 — Belmont  Silver  Mining  Co. 
1858 — Benedict,  Merriman  &  Company. 
1888 — C.  E.  Conover  Company. 
1879— Citizens  Gas  Light  Company. 
1867 — Blake,  Lamb  &  Company. 
1886 — Globe  Curtain  Pole  Company. 
1882 — Garrigus  Manufacturing  Co. 
1882 — Gay  lord,  Cross  &  Speirs  Co. 
1878 — Abbott  &  Root  Brass  Company. 
1853 — American  Hosiery  Company. 
1878 — Connecticut  Arizona  Mining  Co. 
1883 — Deming  Machine  Company. 
1890 — Bradley  &  Hylan  Carriage  Co. 
1883 — Gem  Rink  Company. 
1883 — White  Machine  Company. 
1853 — Cotton  Gin  Mfg.  Co. 


DISSOLVED  IN    I9O9 

Incorporated 

1892 — Cross  &  Speirs  Machine  Co. 

DISSOLVED  IN    I9II 

Incorporated  Incorporated 

:888 — Upson  Rogers  Company.  1857 — American  Suspender  Company. 

1884-^Big  Rapids  Door  &  Blind  Mfg.  1850 — Detroit  &  Lake  Superior  Copper 
Company.  Company. 


DISSOLVED    IN    1912 


Incorporated 

1893 — Jackson  Print  Shop,  Inc. 


DISSOLVED  IN   I913 


Incorporated 

1890 — Waterville  Cutlery  Company. 


DISSOLVED   IN    1916 


Incorporated 

18S9 — Scovill  &  Adams  Company. 


Incorporated 

1880 — New  England  Watch  Company. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 
WATERTOWN  AND  ITS  INDUSTRIES 

POPULATION — CENTENARY    CELEBRATION — CHURCHES — SCHOOLS — LIBRARY — INDUS- 
TRIAL     DEVELOPMENT — SOLDIERS'       MONUMENT FIRE       DEPARTMENT VILLAGE 

IMPROVEMENT  SOCIETY D.  A.  R. TOWN  OFFICIALS — CENSUS. 

Watertown  has  made  no  great  strides  in  population  during  the  past  quarter 
of  a  century,  but  its  industries  have  developed  in  some  instances  to  large  pro- 
portions and  its  beautiful  homes,  its  long  lines  of  terraced  lawns,  its  finely  kept 
streets,  its  trees,  its  public  buildings  have  made  it  one  of  the  beauty  spots  of 
New  England. 

On  July  10,  1916,  it  was  honored  in  the  competition  for  the  best  clean-up 
record  with  a  silver  cup,  which  has  this  inscription :  "Presented  to  Watertown, 
Conn.,  July  10th,  1916,  by  New  England  Clean-Up  and  Paint-Up  Campaign 
Committee  for  conducting  the  most  efficient  clean-up  and  paint-up  campaign  of 
any  town  in  New  England,  having  a  population  of  5,000  or  less." 

The  town  now  takes  a  pride  in  its  high  school  and  six  other  schools,  including 
St.  John's  Parochial  School.  In  addition  to  these,  it  is  the  home  of  the  famous 
Horace  D.  Taft  School,  an  institution  for  the  education  of  boys,  which  has  just 
been  housed  in  a  magnificent  new  building.  It  has  six  churches,  a  finely  con- 
ducted library,  a  well-managed  volunteer  fire  department  and  is  in  every  respect 
today  a  modern  and  up-to-date  New  England  community. 

On  June  17,  1880,  Watertown  celebrated  its  centenary.  It  was  incorporated 
in  1780  as  an  independent  town  and  named  Watertown,  the  society  of  North- 
bury  being  included  until  1795.  The  centenary  celebration  was  a  memorable 
affair.  The  following  is  the  narrative  of  the  celebration  as  prepared  by  the 
Daughters  of  the  Revolution : 

"The  parade  was  large  and  imposing.  The  Putnam  Phalanx  in  their  pic- 
turesque continental  uniforms  attracted  general  attention  and  elicited  rounds  of 
applause  all  along  the  line.  Captains  Bannon  and  Spencer's  commands  marched 
finely.  The  fire  companies  never  appeared  to  better  advantage,  and  the  Cen- 
tennial Cadets,  a  company  of  boys,  in  dark  blue  uniforms  and  red  sashes,  under 
command  of  Capt.  B.  Havens  Heminway  and  Lieut.  Charles  Heminway  were  a 
striking  feature  of  the  procession.  The  antique  part  of  the  parade  was  a  decidedly 
novel  one,  everything  pertaining  to  it  savored  of  'ye  olden  time.'  The  figures 
'1780'  were  attached  to  nearly  everything  and  the  exhibition  of  antiques  in  the 
Town  Hall,  now  the  engine  house,  was  very  creditable.  Roderick  Atwood  was 
the  patriarch  father.  The  cavalcade  was  preceded  by  a  man  seated  astride  a 
horse  and  surrounded  by  five  barrels,  two  on  each  side  and  one  across  the  pommel 
of  the  saddle,  this  representing  the  ride  through  Watertown  in  1799  of  Noble 
Atwood,  who,  to  decide  a  wager,  accomplished  this  feat.  There  were  old  vehicles 
of  every  description  filled  with  ladies  and  gentlemen  in  continental  costumes. 
Nearly  everything  in  this  procession  was  one  hundred  years  old.  There  was  the 
centennial  wagon  loaned  by  Elisha  Leavenworth  and  the  old  gig  in  which 
Doctor  Elton  long  made  his  rounds  to  visit  his  patients  on  these  hills  and  in  the 

339 


340  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

towns  roundabout.  The  carriage  containing  Governor  Andrews,  William  E. 
Curtiss,  L.  W.  Cutler,  president  of  the  day,  and  F.  J.  Kingsbury,  was  drawn  by 
four  horses  driven  by  Lyman  Norton.  The  staff  and  other  visiting  guests  were 
in  carriages.  While  the  procession  was  in  motion  the  salute  of  twenty-one  guns 
was  fired  in  honor  of  Governor  Andrews.  Col.  Wm.  D.  Hotchkiss  was  chief 
marshal,  and  his  aides  were  Rev.  Charles  Croft,  Alanson  Warner,  Merritt  Hemin- 
way,  James  Wooster,  John  Gorra,  Wm.  Munson,  Frank  Peck,  David  Woodward 
and  Henry  Atwood.  The  procession  was  reviewed  in  front  of  the  Warren  House 
by  Governor  Andrews.  Hon.  Wm.  E.  Curtiss  of  New  York,  whose  country 
home  is  at  Watertown,  delivered  the  historical  address." 

HISTORY  OF  ITS  CHURCHES 

In  the  southwest  corner  of  the  old  cemetery  stood  the  first  church  of  the 
township,  a  Congregational  Church,  for  the  first  ecclesiastical  society  was  organ- 
ized soon  after  the  incorporation  of  the  Society  of  Westbury  in  1738.  There 
were  about  three  hundred  inhabitants  in  the  town  when  the  Rev.  John  Trumbull 
was  invited  to  take  charge  of  the  parish  and  in  1741  they  began  to  worship  in 
the  new  church  structure. 

In  1772,  during  Mr.  Trumbull's  pastorate,  the  second  Congregational  Church 
building  was  erected  near  the  site  of  the  present  postoffice.  It  is  worthy  of 
record  that  during  the  first  fifty  years  of  American  missionary  history,  Dr.  Henry 
DeForest,  a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church  of  Watertown,  went  to  Syria 
as  a  missionary. 

In  1834  work  was  begun  upon  a  new  church  and  this  was  dedicated  on  Jan- 
uary 29,  1840,  the  third  Congregational  Church  to  be  erected  in  the  town. 
Rev.  Uriel  L.  Gridley,  who  succeeded  Mr.  Trumbull  in  the  pastorate,  in  1787, 
remained  for  thirty-five  years  as  its  pastor.  At  present  Rev.  Clarence  E.  Wells 
is  pastor,  and  the  clerk  of  the  church  is  Charles  W.  Bidwell. 

The  Union  Congregational  Church  at  Oakville  was  organized  in  1899.  Its 
clerk  at  present  is  Roscoe  W.  French,  and  its  treasurer  is  Bennett  F.  Ball. 

The  Christ  Episcopal  Church  was  organized  in  1765,  and  had  its  first  church 
on  land  southeast  of  the  old  cemetery.  It  was  not  until  April  17,  1787,  however, 
that  it  was  able  to  settle  a  clergyman  in  the  community  at  an  annual  salary,  and 
its  first  selection  was  Rev.  Chauncey  Pringle  who  was  satisfied  with  an  annual 
stipend  of  thirty  pounds,  to  be  paid  in  cattle  or  produce.  The  Academy,  after- 
wards Christ  Church  Parish  House,  was  built  in  1838  during  the  final  rectorship 
of  Dr.  Frederick  Holcomb.  In  February,  1896,  a  new  organ  was  placed  at  the 
chancel  end  of  the  church  and  many  improvements  were  made.  At  present 
the  rector  is  Rev.  Francis  Banks  Wliitcome,  and  the  secretary  is  S.  McLean 
Buckingham. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Watertown  was  established  in  1800, 
but  it  was  not  until  1838  that  a  meeting  house  was  erected,  at  Strait's  Turnpike. 
In  1853  the  Methodist  Congregation  had  outgrown  the  little  meeting-house,  and 
on  the  invitation  of  Gen.  Merrit  Heminway  accepted  the  use  of  the  ball-room 
at  his  hotel  for  Sunday  services.  On  December  13,  1854,  however,  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  was  dedicated. 

In  1897  the  membership  of  the  church  had  increased  to  such  an  extent  that 
it  became  necessary  to  build  a  still  larger  edifice.  The  money  was  raised,  largely 
through  the  generosity  and  influence  of  Augustus  N.  Woolson,  who  purchased 
the  old  church  for  $1,000  and  removed  it  and  later  not  alone  subscribed  to  the 
building   fund   for  the   church,   but  gave  liberally  toward  its  equipment.     The 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  3-41 

present  pastor  of  the  church  is  Rev.  Henry  D.  Trinkes,  and  Robert  J.  Moore  is 
the  secretary,  a  position  he  has  held  for  nearly  two  decades. 

In  1841  the  first  Roman  Catholic,  Michael  Dunn,  came  to  reside  in  Water- 
town.  Three  years  later  he  was  joined  by  Anna  Gaffney  and  Patrick  Dougherty. 
In  1853,  there  were  a  dozen  Catholics  in  the  town,  comprising  the  families  of 
Patrick  Dougherty,  Michael  Dunn,  James  Goodsell,  John  Kane,  Robert  Torrence 
and  John  McGowan.  The  first  priest  who  visited  Watertown  was  the  Rev.  Mi- 
chael O'Neil  of  Waterbury.  He  celebrated  Holy  Mass  at  the  house  of  John 
McGowan.  In  1877  the  site  of  the  present  church  was  purchased,  and  the  erec- 
tion of  the  edifice  began  at  once.  The  corner-stone  was  laid  in  1877.  On  March 
24,  1878,  Bishop  Galberry  dedicated  it  in  honor  of  St.  John  the  Evangelist.  The 
church  cost  $7,000.  Patrick  Dunnigan  and  John  Kane  were  the  first  trustees. 
In  1884,  the  Watertown  Parish  was  divided  from  Thomaston,  with  Terryville 
as  a  mission.  Rev.  Joseph  Fones  was  the  first  resident  priest.  He  remained 
two  years.  In  1886  he  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  James  W.  Lancaster.  Father 
Lancaster  died  in  1899.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  James  H.  O'Donnell.  Father 
O'Donnell  renovated  the  church  and  rectory,  laid  concrete  walks,  introduced  a 
new  heating  apparatus  and  electric  lights  and  liquidated  the  entire  debt  of  the 
parish.  He  also  purchased  a  cemetery  lot  at  a  cost  of  $700  toward  which  the 
town  donated  $300.  This  cemetery  was  blessed  in  1896  by  Bishop  Tierney  and 
named  Mount  St.  James'  Cemetery. 

Father  John  Loftus  succeeded  Father  O'Donnell  in  1902  and  is  still,  in  1917, 
in  charge  of  the  parish. 

Through  the  efforts  of  Father  Lof  ius,  St.  John's  Parochial  School  was  erected 
in  1907.  This  is  on  Main  Street,  near  Woodruff  Avenue,  and  is  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Sisters  of  Notre  Dame,  Sister  Bernardine,  superior. 

St.  Mary  Magdalene  Church  on  Buckingham  Street,  Oakville,  was  organized 
August  15,  1902.     It  is  now  in  charge  of  Rev.  John  A.  Condan. 

its  schools 

Until  1883  Watertown  was  able  to  accommodate  its  own  pupils  in  one  school- 
house,  to  which  additions  had  been  made  from  time  to  time.  In  that  year,  how- 
ever, it  was  voted  by  the  district  to  build  a  new  schoolhouse  "upon  the  present 
school  site,"  and  to  buy  a  small  piece  of  land  in  the  rear  adjoining  the  same.  They 
were  empowered  to  "move  or  sell  the  old  schoolhouse,  erect  a  school  building, 
grade  and  finish  the  same,  provided  the  sum  total  did  not  exceed  the  sum  of 
$8,500  which  was  provided."  The  building  was  erected  and  contained  four 
rooms.  Additions  were  made  from  time  to  time  until  there  were  eight  rooms. 
Early  in  the  morning  of  December  21,  1906,  the  school  building  and  all  its  con- 
tents were  burned. 

On  February  4,  1907,  the  district  voted  to  appropriate  $50,000  to  erect  a 
new  school  building  which  should  contain  twelve  rooms.     This  was  confirmed 

March  25,  1907. 

At  the  present  time  there  are  six  schools  in  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Water- 
town  School  Committee,  of  which  Fletcher  W.  Judson  is  chairman,  Charles  W. 
Bidwell  is  secretary,  L.  K.  Chance,  superintendent.  The  schools  are  as  follows: 
High  School  with  four  grades  and  laboratory;  Baldwin  School,  eight  rooms. 
An  addition  of  four  rooms  to  the  South  School,  Oakville,  was  completed  in  1917 
at  a  cost  of  $30,000.    This  is  now  a  twelve  room  school,  with  an  attendance  of  436. 

The  other  schools  are  the  Falls  Avenue,  Guernseytown,  Polk,  Linfield,  Winna- 
maug,  and  Nova  Scotia.     Total  number  enumerated  in  19 17  was  1,274. 


342      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Horace  D.  Taft,  A.  M.,  brother  of  former  President  Taft,  was  born  in  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  December  28,  1861.  He  is  a  son  of  Alphonso  and  Louisa  (Torrey) 
Taft.  Mr.  Taft  entered  Yale  in  1879  and  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1883.  He 
then  went  abroad  with  his  father,  who  was  at  that  time  minister  to  Austria,  and 
on  his  return  he  studied  law  in  Cincinnati  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1885. 
Two  years  later  he  was  appointed  tutor  of  Latin  at  Yale.  In  1890  he  established 
a  school  at  Pelham  Manor  and  three  years  later  he  removed  his  school  to  Water- 
town  and  purchased  the  Warren  House,  in  which  to  conduct  the  school.  He  is 
now  in  the  large  new  school  recently  built  and  opened.  The  institution  is  designed 
to  fit  boys  for  college  and  scientific  schools  and  the  course  of  study  covers  five 
years.  Mr.  Taft  has  been  very  successful  in  his  work,  the  school  making  a 
steady  growth  under  his  care. 

WATERTOWN    LIBRARY 

The  Library  Association  was  formed  in  1865,  through  the  energy  and  in- 
fluence of  Reverend  Doctor  Lewis,  rector  of  Christ  Church,  who  called  a  meeting 
of  those  interested  in  founding  a  public  library.  They  had  little  hopes  of  success, 
but  subscriptions  were  solicited  and  when  an  amount  was  raised  sufficient  to  buy 
500  books  and  a  few  magazines,  the  library  was  opened  in  an  upper  room  of  the 
old  academy.  Miss  Nancy  Bronson  was  appointed  librarian.  It  remained  in 
the  academy  for  about  one  year,  when  it  was  removed  to  an  upper  room  of  the 
store  now  owned  by  Francis  N.  Barton.  Ten  years  later  Dr.  John  DeForest 
donated  $5  000  as  a  perpetual  fund,  the  interest  of  which  should  be  used  for  the 
purchasing  of  books.  In  1879  tne  Legislature  passed  an  act  incorporating  "the 
Watertown  Library  Association,"  making  sure  its  possessions.  Four  years  later 
Benjamin  DeForest,  brother  of  Doctor  John,  gave  $15,000  for  a  library  building 
which  was  completed  and  ready  for  occupation  the  following  year.  Dr.  John 
DeForest  then  made  a  second  donation  of  $5,000  and  at  his  death  two  years  later 
he  left  a  legacy  of  $10,000  more,  making  in  all  $20,000  which  the  library  received 
from  him.     A  number  of  other  legacies  have  been  received. 

From  Hon.  Leman  W.  Cutler,  who  was  president  of  the  Library  Association 
for  many  years,  $3,000 ;  Caleb  T.  Hickcox,  $800 ;  and  Henry  Piatt,  $500.  The 
building  is  of  gray  Ouincy  granite,  and  is  a  very  attractive  piece  of  architecture. 
The  interior  is  finished  in  ash.  Portraits  of  Dr.  John  and  Benjamin  DeForest, 
and  their  parents,  also  Leman  W.  Cutler  and  Caleb  Hickcox  adorn  the  walls ; 
attractive  donations  have  been  made  by  the  Sexta  Feira  Literary  Club  of  the 
"Winged  Victory  of  Samothrace"  and  a  bronze  tablet  in  memory  of  John  Trum- 
bull, poet,  who  was  a  native  of  Watertown.  Buell  Heminway,  president  of  the 
association,  presented  a  cast  of  the  "Flying  Mercury,"  and  a  handsome  table  and 
chairs.  Samuel  Curtis,  a  painting  of  buffaloes,  by  J.  D.  Flowland.  Benjamin 
DeForest  Curtis  has  given  many  historical  works  of  great  value. 

Miss  Nancy  Bronson  was  the  efficient  librarian  for  thirty-eight  years  and  six 
months,  untiring  in  her  efforts  for  its  growth  and  prosperity.  In  1885  Miss  Jennie 
Smith  was  appointed  assistant  librarian,  as  the  work  had  become  more  than  one 
could  perform.  In  1903,  Miss  Bronson  resigned,  and  Miss  Smith  was  made  head 
librarian. 

INDUSTRIAL   DEVELOPMENT 

The  history  of  the  industrial  development  of  Watertown  began  with  its 
pioneers,  and  was  promoted  as  the  settlement  grew,  and  its  needs  were  made 
manifest. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  343 

The  M.  Heminway  &  Sons'  Silk  Company  is  one  of  the  largest  and  best 
known  industries  in  Watertown.  Gen.  Merrit  Heminway  was  the  son  of  John 
and  Hannah  Thompson  Heminway,  of  East  Haven.  He  was  born  March  21, 
1800,  and  came  to  Watertown  at  twenty-one  years  of  age.  He  was  clerk  for 
James  Bishop,  who  carried  on  the  mercantile  business  in  the  basement  of  the 
Bishop  Hotel,  which  stood  on  the  site  of  the  Homer  Heminway  residence.  In 
1822,  a  company  was  formed  under  the  firm  name  of  Bishop  &  Heminway,  and 
continued  until  1842,  when  Mr.  Heminway  assumed  control  of  the  business. 
Later  Mr.  I  teminway  fitted  up  a  building,  which  is  part  of  the  present  factory  and 
had  been  occupied  by  Nathaniel  Wheeler,  who  was  engaged  at  that  time  as  a 
wagon  maker,  and  there  began  the  manufacture  of  sewing  silk  in  skeins.  A  few 
years  later  he  formed  a  joint-stock  company,  having  his  four  sons  and  a  daughter 
as  partners,  under  the  firm  name  of  M.  Heminway  &  Sons'  Silk  Company.  Mr. 
Heminway  was  the  first  in  this  country  to  spool  silk.  The  first  were  made  to 
hold  twelve  yards  each.  After  making  a  small  quantity,  he  took  it  to  New  York 
for  the  inspection  and  approval  of  the  leading  New  York  merchants  of  that  time. 
They  were  discouraging  in  their  opinions,  believing  it  would  stretch  the  silk, 
which  would  be  detrimental,  but  Mr.  Heminway  was  not  a  man  to  be  easily  dis- 
couraged. He  continued  to  spool  the  silk.  The  sales  increased  and  from  a  small 
force  of  twelve  or  fifteen  employees,  they  now  number  about  three  hundred  in 
all  departments. 

In  19 1 7  the  M.  Heminway  &  Sons  Silk  Company  was  purchased  by  Ham- 
mond Knowlton  &  Company  of  Putnam,  Conn.,  and  after  January  2d  the  com- 
pany will  be  known  as  the  H.  K.  H.  Company.    Its  capital  is  $2,500,000. 

After  the  death  of  General  Heminway,  his  son  Buell  organized  a  silk  com- 
pany in  which  his  son,  B.  Havens  Heminway  and  Henry  Bartlett  were  his  partners 
under  the  firm  name  of  The  Heminway  &  Bartlett  Silk  Co. 

It  started  business  in  September,  1888,  and  its  first  officers  were:  Buell 
Heminway,  president  and  treasurer;  H.  H.  Bartlett,  vice  president;  B.  H.  Hem- 
inway, secretary.  Mr.  Bartlett  succeeded  to  the  presidency  on  the  death  of  Mr. 
Heminway,  March  6,  191 5,  and  Howard  Chichester,  of  New  York,  became  vice 
president,  while  B.  H.  Heminway  remains  as  secretary  and  treasurer,  with  B.  P. 
Hudson  as  assistant  secretary  and  B.  H.  Heminway,  Jr.,  as  superintendent.  The 
first  factory  was  40  by  60  feet.  They  employed  fifteen  people,  of  whom  none 
were  paid  over  $1  per  day,  the  average  wage  being  $5  per  week.  They  now 
employ  250  and  about  65  per  cent  women,  and  the  girls  earn  from  nine  to  eighteen 
dollars  per  week.  Many  employes  have  been  with  the  company  twenty-five 
years.  A  large  proportion  are  skilled  operatives  and  the  company  now  also 
employs  much  automatic  machinery  that  has  been  developed  in  Watertown.  The 
present  factory  is  400  by  60  feet  long,  three  stories  in  height,  of  mill  construc- 
tion and  supplied  with  sprinkler  system.  The  equipment  includes  individual 
motors  and  all  the  latest  improved  devices  needed  in  the  manufacture  of  silk 
goods  of  this  character.  From  the  beginning  the  company  manufactured  spool, 
embroidery  and  crochet  silks  and  in  1 912  added  silk  hosiery. 

In  January,  1850,  the  Watertown  Mfg.  Company  was  formed,  with  a  capital 
stock  of  $30,000,  to  manufacture  mouse-traps,  umbrella  sticks,  machinery,  and 
other  goods.  A.  G.  Davis  was  elected  president,  A.  B.  Everett,  secretary  and 
treasurer.  A  factory  valued  at  from  five  to  six  thousand  dollars  was  built  on 
the  site  of  the  Jonathan  Scott  sawmill,  then  owned  and  used  as  a  sawmill  by 
Jeremiah  Peck,  and  the  bell  of  the  old  factory  was  hung  in  the  tower. 

In  1861  Everett  &  Davis  again  purchased  it  and  four  years  later  Augustus 
N    Woolson  succeeded  Mr.  Everett  and  the  firm  name  was  changed  to  Davis  & 


344  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Woolson.  Mr.  Davis  built  many  of  the  original  machines  used  in  the  factory. 
Mr.  Davis  died  January  18,  1873,  and  Mr.  Woolson  assumed  control  of  the  busi- 
ness and  continued  it  for  over  thirty  years.  Augustus  N.  Woolson  was  a  man 
of  wonderful  energy  and  ability  and  soon  built  up  a  prosperous  business,  necessi- 
tating additions  to  the  factory  from  time  to  time.  Mr.  Woolson  continued  to 
manufacture  the  mouse-traps,  but  gave  more  attention  to  umbrella  and  parasol 
trimmings.  Henry  S.  Frost  was  superintendent  during  Mr.  Woolson's  owner- 
ship, and  aided  the  business  by  his  popularity  with  the  employes,  as  well  as  in 
reconstructing  and  building  new  machines  for  special  purposes.  Augustus  N. 
W'oolson  died  July  20,  1903.  He  left  the  business  to  his  son,  James  B.  Woolson, 
under  whose  name  it  still  continues.  It  now  manufactures  umbrella  and  parasol 
furniture,  brass  novelties,  runners,  notches,  caps,  case  rings,  cane  and  parasol 
ferrules. 

THE  SOLDIERS'    MONUMENT 

Caleb  Hickcox  left  in  his  will  $3,000  towards  a  soldiers'  monument,  to  be 
available  at  the  death  of  Mrs.  Hickcox.  In  1902,  the  Soldiers'  Monument  Asso- 
ciation was  organized  and  a  soliciting  committee  appointed.  Of  the  money 
received,  $3,500  was  contributed  by  citizens  and  friends,  and  a  monument  to 
commemorate  the  memory  of  the  men  who  gave  their  lives  in  their  country's 
cause  has  been  erected  on  the  slope  opposite  the  Methodist  Church. 

It  was  formally  unveiled  in  1907  in  the  presence  of  Gen.  O.  O.  Howard. 
Prof.  Wm.  H.  Burr,  of  Columbia  University,  and  Congressman  George  L. 
Lilley  delivered  addresses.  The  monument  was  unveiled  by  Miss  Katherine  L. 
Barnes,  of  Watertown. 

A  notable  event  in  the  history  of  Watertown  was  the  unveiling  on  June  3, 
1908,  of  the  Scott  Memorial,  which  was  participated  in  by  both  the  Waterbury 
and  Watertown  Chapters  of  the  D.  A.  R.  It  commemorated  "the  sufferings  and 
tortures  inflicted  by  the  Indians  upon  Jonathan  Scott  and  his  wife,  Hannah 
Hawks  Scott." 

ITS    FIRE   DEPARTMENT 

The  Watertown  Fire  Department  was  organized  May  8,  1894.  The  number 
of  members  at  that  time  was  about  fifty.  The  first  officers  were:  Wm.  H.  Beers, 
chief  engineer;  E.  W.  Wheeler,  assistant  engineer;  John  J.  Gailey,  secretary; 
James  B.  Woolson,  treasurer.  The  department  is  divided  into  two  companies, 
called  Hook  and  Ladder,  No.  1,  and  Chemical  Engine  Co.,  No.  I. 

The  present  apparatus  owned  by  the  town  is  as  follows:  One  combination 
auto-chemical  and  hose,  with  equipment ;  one  hook  and  ladder  truck  with  equip- 
ment; one  hand-drawn  chemical  of  fifty  gallons  capacity. 

The  present  active  membership  of  the  department  is  sixty.  The  fire  alarm 
system  has  been  installed  in  the  telephone  central  office  and  is  directly  connected 
with  the  telephone  company's  batteries. 

Harry  A.  Skilton  is  now  chief  engineer  of  the  department. 

VILLAGE   IMPROVEMENT    SOCIETY 

The  Village  Improvement  Society  was  organized  January  10,  1905.  with 
Horace  D.  Taft  as  president,  Mrs.  Merritt  Heminway  as  vice  president,  Mrs. 
Alfred  Stephens,  secretary,  and  Charles  B.  Mattoon,  treasurer.  Its  present  officers 
are:  President,  Robert  V.  Magee ;  vice  president,  Mrs.  Merritt  Heminway; 
secretary,  Harold  E.  Thompson;  treasurer,  Earl  Hudson. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  345 

The  purpose  of  the  society  is  to  beautify  and  improve  the  appearance  of  the 
village,  to  assist  in  making  sidewalks,  in  grading  and  in  making  any  public  im- 
provement that  will  benefit  the  town  or  its  residents,  and  to  try  to  stimulate  a 
spirit  of  progressiveness  in  the  people.  The  society  has  received  the  encourage- 
ment of  the  public  and  looks  for  a  generous  support  in  coming  years. 

DAUGHTERS    OF   THE   AMERICAN    REVOLUTION 

The  Sarah  Whitman  Trumbull  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.,  was  organized  October  24, 
1904.  State  regent,  Mrs.  Sara  T.  Kinney,  met  the  twenty  charter  members  at 
"Campsie,"  the  home  of  Mrs.  John  A.  Buckingham,  and  appointed  Mrs.  John  A. 
Buckingham  first  regent.  At  a  meeting  following,  Mrs.  Buckingham  appointed 
Mrs.  Merritt  Heminway,  vice  regent;  Miss  Cornelia  B.  Hotchkiss,  corresponding 
secretary;  Mrs.  Francis  B.  Noble,  recording  secretary;  Mrs.  John  H.  Taylor, 
treasurer;  Mrs.  Charles  B.  Mattoon,  historian;  Mrs.  Robert  T.  Lewis,  registrar. 

Its  present  officers  are :  Honorary  regent,  Mrs.  John  A.  Buckingham ;  regent, 
Mrs.  G.  H.  Decker;  corresponding  secretary,  Mrs.  B.  H.  Heminway;  recording 
secretary,  Mrs.  George  N.  Griswold ;  treasurer,  Mrs.  E.  C.  Fannie  Low ;  registrar, 
Mrs.  H.  A.  Ashenden;  historian,  Miss  Marion  Scoville;  auditors,  Mrs.  James  B. 
Woolson,  Mrs.  Charles  Kelly. 

TOWN    OFFICIALS 

Its  present  officials  are:  Representative  to  the  General  Assembly,  James  G. 
Skilton;  probate  judge,  Howard  M.  Hickcox;  clerk  and  register,  Bennett  C. 
Atwood;  treasurer,  Howard  M.  Hickcox;  selectmen,  M.  E.  Brahen,  Herbert  T. 
Dayton,  L.  W.  DuBois;  school  committee,  A.  A.  Stone,  Ernest  K.  Loveland, 
Wm.  R.  Smith,  Charles  W.  Bidwell,  Wm.  S.  Taylor,  Myron  Wheeler,  Fletcher 
W.  Judson,  Daniel  G.  Sullivan,  Adolph  Recker. 

CENSUS 

The  population  of  Watertown  by  the  census  of  19 10  was  3,850.  By  the  census 
of  1900  this  was  3, too.  It  is  estimated  in  191 7  at  4,500.  Its  grand  list  this  year 
is  $4,350,158,  an  increase  of  $3,000,000  since  1902.  Its  total  indebtedness  is 
$98,152.    Its  rate  of  taxation  is  1$%  mills. 

Much  of  its  history,  particularly  that  covering  its  railroads  and  other  public 
utilities,  is  covered  in  the  chapters  devoted  to  Waterbury,  for  the  two  towns  are 
closely  allied  and  their  interests  merge  into  each  other  at  many  points. 


CHAPTER  XXX 
\\  ATERBURY'S  NEAREST  NEIGHBOR 

COLONIAL     AND    LATER     PERIOD EARLY     INDUSTRIAL    DEVELOPMENT THE     RUBBER 

INDUSTRY'S  BEGINNING SCHOOLS CHURCHES HOWARD  WHITTEMORE  LIBRARY 

THE  BOROUGH   GOVERNMENT THE  WHITTEMORE  BRIDGE WHITTEMORE  GIFTS 

BANKS PUBLIC     UTILITIES FIRE     AND     POLICE     DEPARTMENTS NEW      POST 

OFFICE THE    GENERAL    WASHINGTON    HOUSE THE    Y.    M.    C.    A.    AND    SIMILAR 

INSTITUTIONS. 

Naugatuck,  situated  about  twenty-five  miles  north  of  New  Haven  and  Bridge- 
port, and  the  immediate  neighbor  to  the  south  of  Waterbury,  is  a  thriving  manu- 
facturing city  of  over  fifteen  thousand  population.  Its  early  industries  were 
established  because  of  the  water  power  furnished  by  the  Naugatuck  River,  which 
stream  is  now  the  center  of  a  fine  parking  and  highway  system.  This,  with  the 
natural  beauty  of  the  valley,  makes  it  one  of  the  beautiful  towns  of  New  England. 

It  has  sixty-six  buildings  used  for  mills  and  manufactures  which  have  a 
valuation  of  three  million  dollars.  It  has  nearly  two  thousand  dwellings,  many 
of  them  very  beautiful,  and  with  a  valuation  of  three  millions. 

It  has  excellent  railroad  facilities,  having  a  double  track  system  to  Bridge- 
port, known  as  the  Naugatuck  division  of  the  New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford 
Railroad,  on  which  a  dozen  passenger  trains  each  way  are  available  daily,  and 
a  through  express  service  on  this  division  between  New  York  and  Boston  is  well 
established.  Its  freight  facilities  are  satisfactory,  there  being  freight  delivery 
from  New  York  in  less  than  ten  hours  from  time  of  loading,  in  normal  times. 

The  railroad  follows  the  west  bank  of  the  Naugatuck  River,  while  the  trolley 
has  its  roadbed  on  the  east  bank,  and  in  many  cases  its  course  on  the  hillsides  is 
nearly  as  abrupt  as  the  famous  gorge  ride  of  Niagara  Falls.  Trolley  connections 
can  be  made  to  all  parts  of  the  state,  as  far  as  Boston  to  the  north  and  New  York 
to  the  south. 

Naugatuck  is  one  of  the  younger  towns  of  the  state,  having  been  set  off  from 
Waterbury  in  1844,  incorporated  in  1893  as  a  borough,  which  in  1895  was  con" 
solidated  with  the  town  government.  Its  growth  of  population  shows  a  most 
healthy  condition.  The  official  census  of  1890  showed  a  population  of  6.218; 
in  1900  a  population  of  10,541,  and  today  it  is  estimated  at  about  15,000. 

Naugatuck  is  the  home  of  the  rubber  industry,  and  more  rubber  shoes  and 
boots  are  made  here  than  anywhere  in  the  United  States,  the  combined  capacity  of 
its  plants  being  more  than  sixty  thousand  pairs  daily.  Its  banking  facilities  are 
excellent.  Its  city  water  supply  consists  of  four  storage  and  one  distributing 
reservoirs,  having  a  total  capacity  of  150.000,000  gallons.  Owing  to  the  physical 
contour  of  the  surrounding  country  the  gravity  system  is  used,  and  at  the  lowest 
point  the  pressure  is  over  one  hundred  pounds.  In  addition,  an  auxiliary  pump- 
ing station  is  maintained,  should  a  prolonged  drought  or  accident  occasion  its  use. 

Naugatuck  has  a  most  efficient  fire  department.  All  the  factories  have 
auxiliary  protection,  and  the  great  pumps  not  only  protect  their  own  property,  but 

346 


TOWN'   HALL.  NAUGATU<  K 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  347 

could  also  be  used  as  an  aid  to  the  local  department  should  an  emergency  occur. 
Its  school  system  is  unsurpassed.  This  consists  of  twelve  graded  schools  and  one 
high  school,  situated  at  convenient  places  and  representing  an  investment  of  nearly 
a  million  dollars. 

The  Congregational  Church  represents  an  investment  of  more  than  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  dollars,  including  the  parish  house  and  the  parsonage. 
The  St.  Francis  Roman  Catholic  Church,  with  its  school  and  parsonage,  repre- 
sents fully  as  much,  and  Xaugatuck  has  one  of  the  finest  puhlic  lihraries  in  the 
State. 

The  work  of  enlarging  the  various  industrial  establishments  of  Xaugatuck  has 
been  particularly  heavy  during  the  past  eighteen  months,  the  prosperity  of  the 
country  reflecting  itself  in  vast  manufacturing  additions. 

The  Goodyear  Metallic  Rubber  Shoe  Company  has  completed  its  new  manu- 
facturing building,  which  is  a  five-story  structure,  120  by  55,  and  will  increase 
the  capacity  by  2,000  pairs  daily,  adding  200  workers  to  the  pay  roll.  Further 
improvements  are  also  planned. 

The  Goodyear  India  Rubber  Glove  Company  has  its  plans  completed  for 
replacing  the  old  mill  with  a  new  building. 

The  Dunham  Hosier}-  Company  has  made  alterations  which  enabled  it  to 
increase  greatlv  its  capacity,  but  the  limit  has  again  been  reached,  and  the  erection 
of  a  large  building  is  in  contemplation. 

The  Rubber  Regenerating  Company  has  just  added  a  three-story  building, 
300  by  70.  to  its  plant. 

The  Xaugatuck  Chemical  Company  is  planning  several  new  structures. 

The  Risdon  Tool  and  Machine  Company  has  greatly  increased  its  capacity 
with  additions. 

The  Eastern  Malleable  Iron  Company  has  important  additions  and  changes 
under  consideration. 

The  new  Tuttle  home  will  be  a  beautiful  addition  to  the  residential  section 
of  Xaugatrrk. 

HISTORY    FROM    COLONIAL    PERIOD 

In  his  valuable  history  of  Waterbury,  Dr.  Joseph  Anderson  has  the  following 
explanation  of  the  derivation  and  meaning  of  the  word  "Xaugatuck" : 

"The  name  'Naugatuck,'  which  appears  in  the  Paugasuck  deed  as  the  estab- 
lished designation  of  the  Mattatuck  River,  was  originally  used  in  a  very  restricted 
sense,  but  is  now  the  most  frequently  mentioned  and  most  widely  known  of  all 
the  aboriginal  names  in  the  valley,  the  first  instance  of  its  occurrence  is  in  the 
Records  of  the  Jurisdiction  of  Xew  Haven  for  May  27.  1657.  Among  the  condi- 
tions proposed  by  the  inhabitants  of  Paugasuck,  upon  which  they  were  willing 
to  'submit  themselves  to  the  jurisdiction,'  the  first  was  in  these  words:  'That  they 
have  liberty  to  buy  the  Indians'  land,  behind  them,  that  is  over  Xaugatuck  River, 
and  not  toward  Xew  Haven  bounds,  and  also  above  them  northward,  up  into 
the  country.'  In  a  deed  to  Thomas  Wheeler,  the  same  year,  the  name  occurs 
again:  and  again  in  a  deed  to  Joseph  Hawley  and  Henry  Tomlinson,  of  Stratford, 
August  16.  1668,  and  frequently  afterward  in  the  Derby  records  and  the  colonial 
records  of  Xew  Haven  and  Connecticut.  This  was  the  name  by  which  the  river 
was  known  in  the  lower  part  of  the  valley.  Yet  in  a  report  made  to  the  General 
Court  by  a  Derby  and  Mattatuck  committee,  in  May,  1680,  it  is  designated  once  as 
'Mattatuck  River'  and  twice  as  the  'Naugatuck  or  Mattatuck.'  When  the  planta- 
tion of  Mattatuck  became  the  Town  of  Waterbury,  the  name  Waterbury  was  also 


348  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

applied  to  the  river,  but  did  not  retain  its  hold  upon  it.  Of  course,  it  is  impossible 
to  say  at  what  date  the  name  'Naugatuck'  achieved  a  complete  victory,  but  it 
appears  to  have  had  the  field  to  itself  for  more  than  a  hundred  years  past.  Being 
used  to  designate  the  river,  it  came  to  be  applied  as  a  matter  of  course  to  the 
valley  through  which  the  river  flows. 

"This  was  the  only  use  of  the  name  until  1844,  when  it  was  adopted  as  the 
name  of  the  new  town.  At  the  May  session  of  the  General  Assembly  in  that  year, 
that  part  of  Waterbury  embraced  within  the  society  of  Salem,  with  portions  of 
Bethany  and  Oxford,  was  'incorporated  as  a  distinct  town,  by  the  name  of  Nauga- 
tuck.' A  year  later  (May,  1845),  the  Legislature  incorporated  'The  Naugatuck 
Railroad  Company,'  and  from  that  time  the  old  aboriginal  name  became  a  house- 
hold word  to  thousands  who  might  not  otherwise  have  known  it." 

As  regards  the  meaning  of  this  name,  the  traditional  derivation  is  given  in 
Doctor  Bronson's  "History  of  Waterbury."  Naukotunk,  the  original  form  of  the 
word,  is  there  said  to  mean  "one  large  tree,"  and  to  have  been  the  original  name 
of  Humphreysville  (now  Seymour),  which  was  so  called  from  a  large  tree  for- 
merly standing  near  Rock  Rimmon  at  Seymour.  The  same  derivation  is  given 
in  a  letter  from  Stiles  French  of  Northampton,  Mass.,  formerly  of  Seymour, 
who  received  it  from  the  Rev.  Smith  Dayton,  whose  authority  was  Eunice 
Mauwee,  the  daughter  of  "Chuce."  Mr.  French  says:  "She  told  Mr.  Dayton 
that  the  name  Naugatuck  meant  'one  big  tree,'  and  was  pronounced  by  the  Indians 
Naw-ka-tunk.  This  'one  big  tree'  stood  about  where  the  copper  works  in  Sey- 
mour now  are,  and  afforded  the  Indians  a  shade  when  they  came  to  the  Rimmon 
falls  to  fish."     This  tradition  is  apparently  direct  and  authentic. 

In  a  Derby  deed,  dated  April  22,  1678,  "the  fishing  place  at  Naugatuck"  is 
definitely  mentioned;  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  ancient  "Naugatuck," 
which  gave  the  river  its  name,  was  at  or  near  the  spot  where  Seymour  now 
stands.  But  it  is  quite  as  likely  to  have  been  designated  the  "fishing  place  at  the 
bend  in  the  river,"  as  "the  fishing  place  at  the  one  tree."  When  "Chuce"  went 
there,  with  his  band,  about  1720,  it  was  the  only  piece  of  land  in  the  Town  of 
Derby  which  the  Indians  had  not  sold.  Because  of  its  value  as  a  "fishing  place" 
they  clung  to  it  to  the  last. 

There  is  authentic  evidence  that  the  first  white  settler  on  the  present  site  of 
Naugatuck  was  Samuel  Hickcox,  who  on  December  21,  1702,  moved  into  the 
home  he  had  built  on  what  was  then  part  of  Judd's  Meadows.  Doctor  Anderson 
thus  relates  the  first  occupation  of  the  valley: 

"Judd's  Meadows  extended  from  Derby  line  to  the  upper  limits  of  the  valleys 
of  Hop  Brook  and  Fulling  Mill  Brook. 

"The  earliest  known  occupation  of  the  meadows  and  uplands  by  the  planters 
was  for  the  use  of  their  cattle.  This  information  comes  through  grants  that  were 
made,  some  of  which  remain  of  record.  In  1699  Abraham  Andrews  received  one 
'on  the  brook  that  runs  through  Benjamin  Barnes's  yard.'  This  was  neither  a 
'door-yard'  nor  a  yard  for  drying  cloth,  but  an  enclosure  for  cattle,  designed 
to  keep  them  in  safety  from  wolves  or  other  wild  animals  at  night  during  the 
season  of  pasturage,  a  herdsman  attending  them  during  the  day.  The  brook  that 
ran  through  Benjamin  Barnes's  yard  is  that  now  insignificant  stream  along  which 
the  highway  winds  from  Union  City  to  the  railway  station. 

"This  region  was  subdivided  by  the  English  into  meadows  that  were  owned 
by  certain  of  the  proprietors,  as  Andrews's  meadow  at  Union  City,  west  of  the 
river,  Welton's  lot  up  Hop  Brook  under  the  hills  just  above  Andrews's  Meadow, 
the  Deacon's  meadow  at  the  upper  part  of  the  Naugatuck  village  and  extending 
down  to,  if  not  below,  the  bridge.    All  of  the  above  were  on  the  west  side  of  the 


PHOENIX    RUBBER    SHOE    FACTORY.    XAUUATUCK 


GOODYEAR     METALLIC    RUBBER    SHOE    COMPANY,    NAUGATUCK 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  349 

river.  On  the  east  side,  across  the  highway  from  Grove  Cemetery  (which  is  in 
Wecobemeas),  lay  'Ben  Jones's'  lot.  Hickcox  meadow  was  north  of  the  river 
at  the  bend  near  the  'Old  Canoe  Place.'  Above  the  burying-yard  of  1709  was 
Thomas  Warner's  allotment.  The  miller,  John  Hopkins,  obtained  his  portion  of 
meadow  at  the  lower  extremity  of  the  valley  in  the  midst  of  a  section  of  country 
naturally  adapted  to  the  raising  of  rye,  an  industry  which  at  a  later  day  became 
a  leading  specialty  in  that  region,  kilns  being  erected  for  drying  the  grain  for 
shipment  to  foreign  countries.  Being  near  New  Haven,  the  principal  shipping 
port,  the  naturally  superior  lands  in  that  vicinity  were  reckoned  among  the  most 
valuable  in  the  township  for  that  purpose,  and  were  appraised  140  years  ago  for 
more  than  their  market  value  at  the  present  time,  that  is,  the  river  lands  and 
those  immediately  adjacent,  just  above  the  straits.  From  the  rapid  and  extensive 
spread  of  the  landed  possessions  of  the  Hopkins  and  the  Lewis  families  in  all 
the  region  round  about,  the  raising  of  rye  must  have  proved  a  lucrative  business 
in  those  days." 

In  Naugatuck  the  first  burial  was  conducted  in  1709,  in  what  was  afterward 
designated  as  Pine  Hill  Grave  Yard,  now  known  as  the  "Ancient  Cemetery," 
between  Main  and  Oak  streets.  In  1795  a  small  lot  was  set  aside  in  the  section 
now  known  as  Hillside  Cemetery,  and  the  first  interment  was  made  in  that  year. 
The  Grove  Cemetery  Association  was  organized  November  8,  1886,  and  incor- 
porated in  January,  1887. 

Xaugatuck  was  an  integral  part  of  Waterbury  until  1844,  and  was  known  by 
the  name  of  Salem  or  Salem  Bridge.  For  all  but  corporate  purposes,  the  latter 
name  was  used.  Thus  the  Salem  Ecclesiastical  Society  was  organized  in  1773,  the 
church  was  organized  in  178T.  the  building  erected  in  1782,  and  the  first  regular 
pastor,  Rev.  Abram  Fowler,  took  charge  of  the  parish  in  1785.  The  name  of 
Xaugatuck  for  this  section  of  what  was  Waterbury  did  not  come  into  general  use 
until  1800. 

EARLY    INDUSTRIAL    DEVELOPMENT 

The  first  industrial  plant  of  which  there  is  any  record  was  a  carding  or  fulling 
mill,  which  flourished  in  1710  on  Great  Brook. 

The  first  instance  of  the  Naugatuck  River  being  clammed  was  in  1824.  The 
power  thus  generated  was  applied  to  pioneer  machinery  used  for  the  manufacture 
of  gilt  buttons.  Later  this  power  was  used  for  the  making  of  clocks,  the  oper- 
ating of  carding  machinery,  and  so  forth. 

The  largest  industry  in  Naugatuck  has  always  been,  as  it  is  now.  the  rubber 
working  enterprises  which  keep  so  many  thousands  of  Naugatuck  citizens  em- 
ployed and  busy.  This  had  its  start  in  1843,  shortly  before  the  incorporation  of 
the  town. 

Here  one  must  turn  to  the  author  of  Naugatuck's  fortunes,  Charles  Goodyear, 
the  inventor  of  the  process  for  vulcanizing  India  rubber,  and  his  connection  with 
the  great  rubber  industry  here. 

Charles  Goodyear  was  born  in  New  Haven,  December  29,  1800.  When  he 
was  still  a  child,  his  parents  removed  to  Naugatuck,  and  it  was  here  that  he 
received  his  early  education  and  grew  to  manhood.  On  August  24,  1824,  he 
married  Miss  Clarissa  Beecher,  daughter  of  Daniel  Beecher,  a  leading  citizen  of 
Xaugatuck.  At  the  age  of  twentv-one  he  became  associated  in  business  with  his 
father,  \masa  Goodyear,  who  was  possessed  of  inventive  ability  and  who  was  a 
manufacturer  of  buttons  and  hardware  specialties. 

It  was  in  his  father's  factory,  no  doubt,  that  his  inherited  talent  for  invention 
developed. 


350      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Charles  Goodyear  was  the  first  to  see  the  possibilities  of  India  rubber  as  a 
commercial  substance  if  it  could  be  hardened.  Before  his  discovery  of  the 
vulcanizing  process  was  perfected,  however,  he  experienced  the  most  pitiful 
poverty.  Often  without  food  or  clothing  for  himself  and  his  family,  subjected 
to  the  severest  hardships,  cast  into  prison  for  debt,  looked  upon  as  "rubber  mad" 
by  his  friends,  he  continued  his  great  work,  confident  that  his  efforts  would  be 
crowned  with  success. 

The  story  of  his  discovery  is  well  known.  It  was  one  of  the  simplest  and  yet 
one  of  the  most  useful  discoveries  which  have  been  made.  The  history  of  the 
invention  and  introduction  of  vulcanized  India  rubber  overshoes,  which  originated 
in  Naugatuck,  in  the  office  of  William  C.  DeForrest,  brother-in-law  of  the 
inventor,  is  better  told  by  Charles  DeForrest,  who  in  a  letter  to  the  late  William 
Ward  of  Naugatuck,  related  the  following: 

"Mr.  Goodyear,  the  inventor,  Mr.  Milo  Lewis,  Mr.  Samuel  H.  Lewis  and  Mr. 
Elliot  of  New  Haven,  met  in  my  late  father's  woolen  factory  in  Naugatuck,  Mr. 
Goodyear  having  provided  the  material  and  lasts  for  the  purpose  of  vulcanizing 
a  rubber  shoe  on  a  last.  He  had  brought  with  him  his  eldest  daughter,  my  late 
wife  of  blessed  memory,  with  materials,  and  there  she  made  the  first  pair  of 
rubber  overshoes,  afterward  vulcanized  in  a  little  shop  just  above  the  present 
grand  plant  of  The  Goodyear  Metallic  Rubber  Shoe  Company.  From  this  modest 
effort  came  the  great  enterprise  of  millions  of  pairs  yearly. 

"The  India  rubber  shoe  interest  up  to  about  the  year  1850  was  the  best  paying 
license  the  inventor,  Mr.  Goodyear,  had.  At  that  time  my  father's  advances  to 
him  were  so  great  that  he  had  to  assign.  Whereupon  the  litigation  instigated  by 
one  Horace  H.  Day  required  eminent  counsel  and  a  committee  of  the  rubber  shoe 
manufacturers  agreed  to  pay  a  retaining  fee  of  $25,000  to  the  Honorable  Daniel 
Webster,  provided  Mr.  Goodyear  would  release  to  the  licensees  five-sixths  of 
their  royalties,  namely,  from  three  cents  a  pair  to  one-half  cent  a  pair.  This  Mr. 
Goodyear,  under  pressure,  agreed  to. 

"The  patent  was  sustained  by  the  United  States  courts  at  Trenton,  N.  J.,  and 
Mr.  Goodyear  gave  up  five-sixths  of  his  income  from  India  rubber  overshoes. 
Thus  comes  the  establishment  of  Naugatuck's  greatest  industry. 

"We  also  learn  from  the  correspondence  preserved  by  one  of  our  large  rubber 
companies  that  many  of  Mr.  Goodyear's  experiments  were  worked  out  in  Nauga- 
tuck and  that  Naugatuck's  part  in  assisting  him  was  a  most  important  one." 

THE   PRINCIPAL   INDUSTRIES 

While  Naugatuck  is  chiefly  a  rubber  manufacturing  community,  it  also  has 
other  industries  employing  several  millions  of  dollars  of  capital  and  several  thou- 
sand workers.  The  manufacture  of  underwear  and  sweaters  plays  a  large  part  in 
the  borough  industries,  as  does  also  the  making  of  specialties  in  malleable  iron. 

Naugatuck's  gigantic  rubber  industry  is  represented  by  The  Goodyear's  India 
Rubber  Glove  Mfg.  Co.  and  The  Goodyear's  Metallic  Rubber  Shoe  Co.,  two  of 
the  borough's  largest  concerns.  Each  employs  hundreds  of  workers  and  the 
output  is  sold  in  nearly  every  part  of  the  world. 

The  Goodyear  India  Rubber  Glove  Company  began  business  in  Litchfield  in 
1844,  and  was  brought  to  Naugatuck  in  1847,  when  it  was  incorporated  under  its 
present  name.  The  growth  of  the  company  was  steady  and  today  the  plant  covers 
many  acres  of  land. 

The  concern  is  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  gloves,  rubber  clothing,  dress 
shields,  nursery  sheetings  and  a  large  variety  of  druggists'  articles.     The  industry 


to 

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WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  351 

includes  three  plants  and  its  employees  number  more  than  2,000.  It  is  here  that 
75  per  cent  of  the  rubber  gloves  and  mittens  used  in  the  United  States  are  pro- 
duced. Throughout  the  entire  plant  is  modern,  sanitary  and  a  cause  for  just  pride 
on  the  part  of  Naugatuck  citizens. 

The  pioneer  company,  the  Goodyear  Metallic  Rubber  Shoe  Co.,  had  small 
beginnings,  hut  the  plant  of  today  is  one  of  the  most  modern  of  its  kind  in  the 
world.  The  company  is  the  oldest  manufacturing  corporation  in  the  borough, 
having  been  founded  in  1843.  Yet  in  the  many  years  of  its  existence,  there  have 
been  only  six  presidents,  namely,  Samuel  J.  Lewis,  the  founder,  Hon.  James  E. 
English,  George  A.  Lewis,  son  of  the  founder,  Samuel  P.  Colt,  James  B.  Ford,  and 
the  present  executive,  F.  F.  Schaffer. 

Both  of  these  factories  are  owned  by  the  United  States  Rubber  Company, 
which  has  also  established  a  reclaiming  plant  as  a  part  of  its  organization.  In  it 
modern  and  sometimes  original  methods  of  using  waste  material  are  used  by 
Edward  A.  Andersen,  its  manager.  Tons  and  tons  of  old  rubber  boots,  overshoes, 
tires,  etc.,  are  ground  up,  treated  and  turned  out  as  marketable  rubber. 

The  Naugatuck  Malleable  Iron  Company,  located  at  Union  City,  has  one  of 
the  largest  and  most  modern  factories  of  its  kind  in  the  state.  A  specialty  is  made 
of  tires  for  carriage  and  wagon  wheels  and  castings  that  are  used  for  the  manu- 
facture of  guns,  pistols  and  other  articles  that  require  tough  metal.  It  also  makes 
a  specialty  of  shear  castings  to  which  steel  blades  are  welded. 

The  business  was  started  on  the  partnership  plan  in  1858  by  Tuttle  &  Whitte- 
more,  the  latter  being  the  father  of  the  president  of  today,  Harris  Whittemore. 
Later  the  firm  became  known  as  the  Tuttle-Whittemore  Company,  and  in  July, 
1889,  was  incorporated  as  the  Naugatuck  Malleable  Iron  Company.  The  capacity 
of  the  plant,  which  covers  six  acres,  is  eight  thousand  to  ten  thousand  tons  a  year. 

Boxmaking  is  another  of  Naugatuck  industries,  the  White  &  Wells  Company 
making  several  thousand  paper  boxes  daily.  The  rubber  factories  of  the  borough 
use  most  of  these  boxes  for  packing  their  goods.  The  factory  is  one  of  the  several 
branches  of  the  company  which  is  a  joint  stock  corporation,  organized  under  Con- 
necticut laws.     The  business  was  organized  in  1893. 

The  Naugatuck  Chemical  Company  is  another  of  Naugatuck's  industries.  It 
produces  chemicals  of  all  sorts,  including  sulphuric  and  muriatic  acids  and  other 
heavy  chemicals.  The  products  are  sold  in  nearly  every  corner  of  the  globe.  The 
company  was  organized  and  incorporated  in  June,  1904,  and  consists  of  several  of 
Naugatuck's  most  widely  known  business  men  under  the  direction  of  James  B. 
Ford,  the  president. 

The  Diamond  Laboratory,  established  in  1888,  for  the  manufacture  of  marsh- 
mallow  cream,  has  7,500  feet  of  floor  space,  modern  machinery,  and  is  a  model  in 
sanitation.    The  business  is  carried  on  under  the  direction  of  Mrs.  Ida  E.  May. 

The  Naugatuck  Manufacturing  Company  is  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
brass,  bronze  and  aluminum  castings  in  the  rough  or  finished.  Salesmen  sell  their 
products  all  over  the  United  States.  The  making  of  chains  is  another  branch  of 
the  business. 

The  Dunham  Hosiery  Company  was  started  in  1876  and  incorporated  under 
its  present  name  in  1880.  The  products  of  the  company  are  hosiery,  underwear, 
sweaters  and  similar  articles  which  are  the  very  best  of  their  particular  lines.  The 
plant  is  well  fitted  and  modern  in  every  respect,  and  became  very  busy  soon  after 
the  outbreak  of  the  European  war,  owing  to  large  orders  received  for  the  Allied 
armies.    The  long-time  president  of  the  company,  A.  C.  Dunham,  died  in  1917. 


352  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

THE  RUBBER  INDUSTRY  AT  BEACON  FALLS 

Rubber  marks  the  beginning  of  the  history  of  the  little  nearby  Town  of  Beacon 
Falls,  from  a  manufacturing  viewpoint.  Dating  back  as  early  as  1852,  the  orig- 
inal shop  was  erected  by  pioneers  of  the  vicinity  for  the  purpose  of  manufacturing 
hard  rubber  goods.  The  original  mill,  modern  in  its  time,  was  operated  more  or 
less  successfully  for  ten  years,  or  until  1862. 

Among  the  commodities  made  of  hard  rubber  were  powder  flasks,  which  were 
at  that  time  a  necessary  part  of  a  hunter's  equipment  in  the  charging  of  the 
muzzle-loading  shotgun,  also  the  flint  lock  musket,  which  was  then  still  in  use. 
Whip  sockets  and  buttons  also  played  an  important  part  in  the  output  of  the  mill. 

Following  the  year  1862  a  split  in  the  management  occurred  and  a  portion  of 
the  stock  and  equipment  was  moved  to  College  Point,  N.  Y.,  and  the  balance 
to  the  adjoining  Village  of  Seymour. 

From  1864  to  1872  the  little  mill  was  operated  as  a  shawl  factory  under  tlie 
name  of  the  Home  Woolen  Company.  When  the  boys  returned  from  the  Civil 
war  attired  in  the  army  overcoat,  the  style  and  idea  brought  in  by  the  survivors 
of  the  awful  conflict  was  quickly  adopted  and  shawls  for  men  gradually  ceased 
to  become  an  article  of  dress. 

During  the  period  from  1873  to  l&97  the  plant  was  operated  under  several 
names  and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  several  commodities  included  in  the 
cotton,  knit  and  woolen  goods  line.  During  1897  and  1898  the  mill  and  many 
of  the  houses  of  the  village  were  closed  and  the  windows  boarded  up. 

In  the  fall  of  1898  the  Beacon  Falls  Rubber  Shoe  Company  was  projected  and 
organized,  the  first  shoes  being  made  in  March,  1899.  The  personnel  of  the  or- 
ganization at  inception  was  as  follows :  President,  George  A.  Lewis ;  vice 
president  and  general  manager,  Adna  D.  Warner ;  secretary  and  treasurer,  Tracy 
S.  Lewis ;  superintendent,  Lewis  C.  Warner ;  traffic  department,  LaVete  Warner ; 
general  selling  agent,  A.  D.  Wentz.  The  first  rubber  shoe  was  manufactured  by 
the  concern  on  March  15,  1899,  under  the  immediate  supervision  of  Mr.  L.  C. 
Warner,  and  also  the  first  pair  of  rubber  boots.  From  that  day  to  the  present 
moment,  the  manufacture  of  rubber  footwear  at  Beacon  Falls  has  been  a  con- 
tinuous and  growing  reality. 

The  business  enjoyed  a  healthy  growth,  and  in  1900  a  four-story  addition, 
5°  by  75  feet,  was  erected.  This  was  followed  in  1902  by  the  erection  of  another 
addition,  60  by  150  feet,  and  in  1908  a  warehouse,  80  by  100  feet.  In  191 5  another 
story  was  added  to  the  warehouse  and  the  whole  building  stuccoed  over.  In 
April,  1904,  the  office  and  accounting  department  was  badly  damaged  by  fire  and 
water,  but  the  records  of  the  plant  were  found  in  the  vaults  in  perfect  condition, 
permitting  the  business  to  continue  without  interruption  or  delay. 

In  1909  a  storehouse  for  supplies  was  constructed,  72  by  42  feet,  comprising 
one-story  and  a  basement.  In  191 5  another  story  was  added.  In  1912  a  new 
vulcanizing  room,  30  by  50  feet,  was  built.  Following  the  year  1900  the  present 
Boston,  New  York  and  Chicago  branches  were  opened,  and  later  incorporated 
under  the  laws  of  Massachusetts,  New  York  and  Illinois  as  distributing  centers 
for  New  England,  the  Middle  Atlantic  and  Western  territories.  In  1914,  the 
Minneapolis  and  Kansas  City  branches  were  opened  and  a  connection  established 
in  San  Francisco. 

This  company,  while  entirely  independent,  has  always  held  and  enjoyed  the 
most  pleasant  relations  with  its  competitors.  Their  policy  touching  the  em- 
ployee, the  dealer  and  the  consumer,  is  broad  and  liberal  in  business. 

The  company  maintains  a  band  within  its  organization  which  plays  selections 


I 


■  ■ 


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— 
— 


o 

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WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  353 

every  noon  time  the  year  around,  in  front  of  the  plant,  while  in  the  summer 
months  many  concerts  are  given  in  the  cozy  little  park  fronting  on  the  main 
street,  which  arc  thoroughly  enjoyed  by  the  townspeople  and  oftentimes  by  auto- 
mobile parties  from  nearby  towns. 

The  company  has  built  and  maintains  a  moving  picture  theater,  attractive 
in  design,  for  the  entertainment  of  both  the  employees  and  the  townspeople.  The 
building  also  includes  an  assembly  and  dance  hall,  where  the  company's  employees 
hold  many  enjoyable  parties  throughout  the  year,  at  low  cost. 

The  company  is  interested,  at  the  present  time,  and  good  progress  is  being 
made,  in  developing  a  colony  of  employees  owning  their  own  homes  in  Beacon 
Falls.  A  comprehensive  plan  has  been  worked  out  by  the  company's  officials 
toward  that  end. 

THE   SCHOOLS   OF    NAUGATUCK 

One  of  Naugatuck's  greatest  assets  is  its  magnificent  school  system.  It  is 
interesting  to  note  that  the  right  to  establish  a  free  school  near  the  site  of  Nauga- 
tuck  was  granted  on  February  25,  1642.  Not  until  1730,  however,  did  Water- 
bury  create  a  school  district  in  that  part  of  its  limits  known  as  Judd's  Meadows 
or  Salem. 

After  May,  1773.  the  Salem  Society  managed  the  schools  within  its  limits 
and  its  first  committee  of  school  directors  consisted  of  Isaac  Judd,  Terace  Terrell 
and  Asahel  Porter.  In  1774  the  East  side  was  created  one  district,  the  West  side 
another.  In  1777  the  Center  School  district  was  established  and  in  1851  the  latter 
was  one  of  the  five  districts  consolidated  under  the  title  LTnion  Center  School 
District. 

Naugatuck's  school  boards  began  a  system  of  proper  housing  and  of  increased 
modern  education  equipment  in  1897  with  the  opening  of  the  new  schoolhouses  at 
Union  City  and  on  Central  Avenue,  in  the  Union  Center  district.  With  the 
opening  of  the  winter  term,  in  1898,  manual  training  was  introduced  at  the 
Salem  school. 

The  era  of  greatest  advancement  began  with  the  election  of  the  present  super- 
intendent of  schools,  Frank  W.  Eaton,  in  1900.  In  1906  he  was  elected  superin- 
tendent of  the  schools  of  the  whole  borough. 

On  May  10,  1905,  the  new  high  school,  the  gift  of  the  late  J.  H.  Whittemore, 
was  dedicated  with  impressive  services.  He  had  also  previously  given  the 
borough  the  Salem  grade  school.  His  son,  Harris  Whittemore,  has  presented  the 
borough  with  the  new  Hop  Brook  graded  school,  which  was  opened  and  used  in 
1917. 

The  following  is  a  summary  of  the  school  property: 

High  school  building,  Hillside  Avenue  ;  brick,  built  1905  ;  condition,  excellent ; 
property  of  the  borough.  Valuation  of  building  and  grounds,  $300,000.  Heat, 
steam  boiler,  furnishing  direct  and  indirect  heat  regulated  by  thermostats ;  blower 
and  exhaust  fans.  Accommodations,  nine  class  rooms,  373  sittings ;  cooking 
room ;  sewing  room ;  two  manual  training  rooms :  library ;  commercial  room ; 
chemical  and  physical  laboratories  with  recitation  room  and  apparatus  room ; 
drawing  room;  assembly  hall,  440  sittings;  gymnasium  with  baths,  lockers  and 
dressing  rooms  for  boys  and  girls  ;  offices. 

Vol.  1—23 


354  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Valuation 
District  of  property 

Union  Center,  Salem $130,000 

Central  Avenue 40,000 

Rubber  Avenue 26,000 

Beebe  Street  17,500 

Oak  Street  18,500 

Union  City,  Prospect  Street 22,000 

Hop  Brook  100,000 

Millville    2,500 

Pond  Hill 3,500 

Groveside   6,400 

Straitsville 500 

High  School 300,000 

The  school  attendance  is  approximately  3,500. 

The  Board  of  Education  in  1917  is  as  follows:  Thomas  M.  Bull,  president; 
Andrew  C.  Brennan,  Howard  L.  Isbell,  William  Kennedy,  secretary,  George  M. 
Rumney,  Henry  J.  Freeman. 

THE    HOWARD   WHITTEMORE    MEMORIAL    LIBRARY 

The  Howard  Whittemore  Memorial  Library,  the  gift  of  the  late  J.  H.  Whitte- 
more,  in  memory  of  his  son  Howard,  is  one  of  the  most  distinctive  of  the  public 
structures  of  Naugatuck.  Naugatuck's  first  library  was  established  by  the 
Ecclesiastical  Society  in  1783,  and  was  known  as  the  "Old  Salem"  Library.  Later 
this  was  merged  into  the  "Juvenile  Library,"  and  later  still  it  became  part  of  the 
public  school  library.  But  the  entire  project  of  having  a  public  library  finally 
lapsed. 

The  gift  of  the  late  Mr.  Whittemore  of  the  new  library  building  coalesced 
the  various  smaller  libraries  of  the  borough  and  there  are  now  over  10,000 
volumes  on  its  shelves. 

The  trustees  are  Harris  Whittemore,  C.  B.  Tuttle,  George  L.  Hinnan,  Nils 
Olsen  and  C.  T.  McCarthy.     The  librarian  is  Miss  Esther  Goodyear. 

HISTORY  OF  NAUGATUCK'S   CHURCHES 

The  church  history  of  Naugatuck  dates  from  that  request  made  to  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  in  1765  by  Stephen  Hopkins  and  other  members  of  the  first 
society  in  Waterbury  "for  a  winter  parish."  That  it  was  granted  and  extended 
is  known,  but  little  else  is  of  record  save  an  interesting  letter  from  Nathan  Hale, 
in  which  he  says  that  his  health  will  not  permit  him  to  preach  at  Judd's  Meadows. 
This  was  written  in  1770. 

The  first  society  meeting  was  held  on  the  first  Monday  in  June,  1773.  Capt. 
Gideon  Hotchkiss  was  chosen  moderator ;  Ashbel  Porter,  clerk ;  for  society's 
committee,  Capt.  Gideon  Hotchkiss,  Capt.  John  Lewis,  Stephen  Hopkins,  Samuel 
Lewis,  Esq.,  and  Capt.  Samuel  Porter.  At  the  next  meeting,  in  December, 
Gideon  Hickcox,  J.  Lewis,  Jr.,  and  John  Hopkins  were  added  to  the  society's 
committee,  and  a  school  committee  consisting  of  Isaac  Judd,  Israel  Terrill  and 
Ashbel  Porter  was  appointed. 

In  1774,  the  first  attempt  to  secure  stated  ministrations  of  the  gospel  was 
made.  In  August,  Mr.  Remily  was  invited  to  preach  on  probation;  in  October, 
Mr.  Miles  was  called  for  settlement;  in  April,  1776,  the  Rev.  Abraham  Camp  was 


HOWARD  WHITTEMORE  MEMORIAL  LIBRARY,  NAUGATUCK 


SALEM  SCHOOL,  X AIT! ATI  <  K 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  355 

invited  on  probation;  in  March,  1777,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Barker  received  the  same 
invitation;  in  January,  1781,  it  was  decided  to  give  a  call  to  the  Rev.  Medad 
Rogers. 

When  the  site  for  the  meeting-house  came  under  consideration,  there  was  a 
wide  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  proper  location.  The  territory  now  within 
the  Town  of  Prospect  held  a  considerable  proportion  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
society,  who  naturally  wished  the  meeting-house  to  be  as  near  to  their  hills  as 
might  be,  but  they,  like  their  predecessors  in  other  societies,  submitted  to  arbitra- 
tion The  Court's  committee  set  the  stake  high  on  the  hill  eastward  of  the  river, 
on  land  of  Gideon  Hickcox.  On  this  land,  without  having  obtained  a  title  to  it, 
the  meeting-house  was  built  by  the  church  and  society. 

This  church  building  remained  on  the  hill  forty-nine  years.  It  had  a  bell  in 
1794,  at  which  date  it  was  agreed  to  have  the  meeting-house  bell  rung  at  the  cost 
of  the  society  on  each  Sunday  for  all  public  meetings  which  are  held  at  the 
meeting-house,  for  funerals  when  desired,  and  at  nine  o'clock  each  night,  Satur- 
day nights  excepted. 

Abraham  Fowler  was  the  first  settled  minister.  He  was  ordained  in  the 
meeting-house  on  the  hill,  January  12,  1785,  and  installed  over  a  church  of  thirty- 
one  members.  He  was  dismissed  March  13,  1799,  leaving  a  church  that  had  lost 
at  that  date  by  death,  it  is  believed,  but  four  of  its  122  members. 

During  the  sixty-three  years  that  the  Salem  church  was  one  of  the  churches 
of  Waterbury  it  had  a  settled  pastor  but  thirty-nine  years.  It  was  organized 
without  a  pastor;  in  1800  it  entertained,  apparently  without  a  pastor,  the  mem- 
bers of  the  "Consociation  of  the  Western  District  of  New  Haven  County,"  con- 
sisting of  eleven  reverend  elders  and  ten  delegates ;  it  passed,  without  a  pastor, 
through  the  momentous  period  of  religious  excitement  caused  by  the  preaching 
of  Nettleton,  during  which  time  eighty-two  members  were  received  into  its  fold. 

Changes  in  the  village  caused  the  removal  of  the  meeting-house  to  the  site 
now  occupied,  where  it  was  rebuilt  in  1831.  In  1854  it  was  removed  to  make 
place  for  a  larger  edifice,  which  was  dedicated  in  1855.  The  first  parsonage  was 
built  in  1845. 

In  1900  the  Congregational  Church  decided  to  build  the  magnificent  new 
building  which  now  stands  on  the  site  of  its  old  structure.  Among  the  notable 
gifts  which  made  this  possible  was  one  of  $40,000  by  the  late  J.  H.  Whittemore. 
The  building  was  dedicated  in  1903.  Its  present  pastor  is  the  Rev.  Phillip  C. 
Walcott ;  clerk,  H.  A.  Dalby ;  treasurer,  B.  N.  Wilmot ;  society's  clerk,  F.  B.  Rol- 
linson ;  society's  treasurer,  H.  A.  Dalby. 

St.  Michael's  Protestant  Episcopal  Parish  was  formed  Feb.  7,  1786.  In  1803, 
the  parish  voted  to  build  a  church  and  the  site  was  selected  several  miles  south- 
west of  the  Naugatuck  village.  In  1830  it  became  evident  that  the  center  of 
population  would  shift  from  the  hills  to  the  meadows  along  the  Naugatuck,  and 
the  meeting-house  was  moved  to  a  site  south  of  the  present  Congregational  meet- 
ing-house. 

On  August  15,  1875,  it  was  sold  to  the  Naugatuck  School  Board  and  re- 
moved to  make  way  for  the  new  church  edifice.  In  i860  the  first  rectory  was 
built. 

The  present  officers  of  the  church  are:  Rector,  Rev.  Phillip  C.  Pearson; 
senior  warden,  F.  F.  Schaffer;  junior  warden,  A.  H.  Dayton;  clerk,  E.  E. 
Hotchkiss :  treasurer,  J.  W.  Rogers. 

A  class  of  Methodists  was  organized  at  Naugatuck  about  one  hundred  years 
ago.  Actual  meetings  were  held  earlier  than  that  in  Union  City  and  Straitsville. 
On  July  30,  185 1,  a  site  for  a  meeting-house  was  purchased  on  Water  Street. 


356  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

A  second  church  building  was  occupied  in  1868.  In  1886,  a  site  for  the  present 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  building  was  purchased  at  204  Meadow  Street. 

Its  present  officers  are:  Pastor,  Rev.  A.  M.  Davidson;  clerk,  G.  L.  Hinnan; 
treasurer,  C.  W.  Houseknecht. 

Among  the  citizens  living  in  the  Salem  society  soon  after  1800  were  a  num- 
ber of  Baptists,  who  first  worshipped  in  the  church  in  Waterbury.  In  October, 
18 17,  sixty  persons  living  in  Salem,  Prospect  and  Bethany  were  set  off  from  the 
Waterbury  society  to  organize  a  new  church  in  the  localities  indicated.  Two 
meeting-houses  were  built,  one  on  Fulling  Mill  Brook,  and  by  December  22,  1819, 
the  second  was  organized  in  the  Straitsville  locality. 

It  is  the  one  on  Fulling  Mill  Brook  which  later  became  the  Naugatuck  Baptist 
Church,  with  a  fine  church  edifice  on  Prospect  Street,  in  Union  City. 

The  present  officers  are:  Pastor,  Rev.  John  Pounder;  clerk,  Emily  Killer; 
treasurer,  Mrs.  Eli  Decker. 

The  other  Protestant  churches  of  Naugatuck  are  as  follows,  with  date  of 
organization.  Among  these  is  the  Swedish  Evangelical  Lutheran  Salem  Church, 
whose  church  building  was  erected  for  them  in  1891  through  the  generosity  of 
the  late  J.  H.  Whittemore. 

German  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church,  615  High  Street.  Dedicated  1903. 
Pastor,  Rev.  Arthur  Baum ;  secretary,  Adolph  Dillinger ;  treasurer,  Michael  Pope. 

St.  Paul's  Lithuanian  Ev.  Lutheran  Church,  Curtiss  Street.  Organized 
August  31,  1903.  Pastor,  Rev.  Ewald  Kories;  secretary,  Edward  Hermonat ; 
treasurer,  Charles  Pudem. 

Swedish  Congregational  Bethany  Church,  174  Fairview  Avenue.  Organized 
February  21,  1894.  Pastor,  Rev.  Frank  Sahlin;  clerk,  Carl  Anderson;  treasurer, 
Edwin  Anderson. 

Swedish  Evangelical  Lutheran  Salem  Church,  organized  1887.  Pastor,  Rev. 
Carl  D.  Bostrom ;  clerk,  Alfred  Peterson;  treasurer,  J.  Emil  Anderson;  super- 
intendent of  Sunday  School,  John  E.  Bohlin;  sexton,  N.  P.  Lindahl. 

St.  Francis  of  Assisi  Roman  Catholic  parish  was  constituted  in  1866.  Some 
time  about  1850  the  first  mass  of  the  Catholic  Church  in  Naugatuck  was  said 
at  the  house  of  Patrick  Conran.  A  mission  was  soon  established  and  a  small 
frame  church  was  erected  in  1859.  In  the  course  of  nine  years,  the  members  of 
the  mission  were  enough  in  number  to  form  a  separate  parish.  It  was  con- 
stituted in  1866,  and  Rev.  Father  Brady  became  the  first  resident  priest. 

The  George  Hine  place  on  Church  Street  was  purchased  in  1868,  as  the  site 
for  the  future  church  property  in  Naugatuck.  Ground  was  broken  April  7, 
1882,  for  the  present  fine  church  edifice  on  Church  Street.  The  cornerstone  was 
laid  July  23,  1882,  and  the  building  was  completed  in  1890  at  a  cost  of  $100,000. 
The  edifice  is  purely  Gothic  and  of  a  cruciform  shape.  The  auditorium  seats  1,200 
people,  and,  like  the  large  chapel,  is  finished  in  oak  and  walnut. 

St.  Francis  Academy  was  erected  immediately  after  the  dedication  of  the 
church.  This  was  followed  by  the  building  of  the  rectory.  Rev.  Thomas  Carney, 
now  pastor,  built  the  beautiful  convent,  which  completes  a  great  square  of  church 
buildings.  He  has  also  been  helpful  in  the  establishment  of  the  splendid  library 
now  owned  by  the  parish. 

The  assistant  rectors  are  Rev.  Edward  Leo  Morrison  and  Rev.  M.  F.  Higgins. 

Saint  Hedwig's  Polish  Roman  Catholic  Church,  at  32  Golden  Hill,  Union 
City,  was  built  in  1906.    Its  rector  is  Rev.  Paul  W.  Piechocki. 

THE    BOROUGH    GOVERNMENT 

The  old  Salem  Parish  was  incorporated  as  a  town  on  the  petition  of  William 
DeForrest  and  others,  February  16,  1844.     The  first  officers  chosen  were  as  fol- 


ST.  FRANCIS  SCHOOL,  NAUGATUCK 


CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH   AND   PARISH   HOUSE,  NAUGATUCK 


WATERBURY  AM)  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  357 

lows :  Clerk,  Charles  S.  Peck ;  selectmen,  Aronson  Glover,  Enos  Osborne,  Bur- 
ton Sperry;  treasurer,  Isaac  S.  Johnson;  town  agent,  Charles  Middleton;  tything- 
men,  Francis  Webster,  Orin  Hotchkiss,  Monroe  Serrells,  Enos  Hopkins,  William 
11.  Tomlinson,  J.  O.  Hotchkiss. 

The  first  regular  election  was  held  on  the  green  between  the  Episcopal  and 
Congregational  churches  in  October,  1844,  the  voters  lining  up  on  either  side  of 
the  ballot  box,  showing  which  ticket  they  were  favoring. 

The  Naugatuck  Probate  District  was  created  in  1863,  David  Smith  serving 
six  years  as  its  first  judge. 

The  Town  Hall  was  built  in  1882,  at  a  cost  of  $54,000.  The  first  bridge  at 
Naugatuck  was  a  little  more  than  one  hundred  rods  above  the  present  one.  The 
old  Salem  Bridge  was  replaced  with  an  iron  structure  in  1883,  and  another  iron 
bridge  was  built  at  Union  City  in  1891. 

In  1893  tne  Borough  of  Naugatuck  was  created  and  George  D.  Bissell  was 
elected  the  first  warden.  The  following  is  a  complete  •  list  of  wardens  of  the 
borough  from  that  date  until  1917: 

George  D.  Bissell   1893-1894 

F.  F.  Schaffer  1894-1895 

E.  E.  Stevens 1895-1896 

E.  E.  Stevens   1896-1897 

John  J.  Gorman 1897-1898 

F.  F.  Schaffer 1898-1903 

John  J.  Gorman 1903-1904 

\Y.  T.  Rodenbach   1904-1906 

Harry  Roberts   1906-1907 

W.  T.  Rodenbach   1907-1908 

Thomas  O'Loughlin    1908- 1909 

J.  W.  Rogers   1909-1910 

Win  J.  Xeary   1910-1912 

A  Barton  Cross,  Jr 1912-1914 

Howard  B.  Tuttle 1914-1917 

Since  1893  the  borough  government  has  made  a  great  change  in  the  physical 
appearance  of  Naugatuck.  A  sewerage  system  is  now  established,  with  over  four- 
teen miles  of  pipe  laid.  In  the  matter  of  paving,  the  borough  has  been  thoroughly 
progressive,  its  latest  addition  being  the  completion  of  the  work  on  Rubber  Avenue. 

The  borough  and  town  government  for  1917  is  as  follows:     Warden,  Howard 

B.  Tuttle ;  burgesses,  Lewis  C.  Warner,  Peter  Hall,  Martin  F.  O'Brien,  Tracy 
North,  Eugene  Patterson,  John  F.  Maher ;  borough  clerk,  Frank  A.  Sears ;  bor- 
ough treasurer,  George  T.  Wigmore  ;  tax  collector,  John  E.  Bohlin  ;  registrars 
of  voters,  George  P.  Young,  Hugh  Burns;  superintendent  of  poor,  W'illiam  G. 
Hard;  superintendent  of  streets,  William  H.  Moody;  borough  engineer,  George 

C.  Ham;  judge  of  borough  court,  Frank  A.  Sears;  deputy  judge,  Joseph  J.  Hall: 
prosecuting  attorney,  Claremont  I.  Tolles ;  clerk  of  court,  Walter  E,  Brown : 
auditors,  Victor  N.  Peterson,  Edward  J.  Welch  ;  selectmen,  Charles  O.  Fellows, 
Frank  Arendholz,  Timothy  Fitzgerald;  town  clerk,  Joshua  W.  Rogers;  justices 
of  the  peace,  John  E.  Bohlin,  Hugh  W.  Burns,  Robert  W.  Dibble,  Henry  J.  Free- 
man, Thomas  F.  Glynn.  Clayton  L.  Klein,  Martin  F.  O'Brien,  C.  Henry  Squire, 
Claremont   T.   Tolles. 

TTIE   WHITTEMORE   I5RIDGE 

With  simple  but  impressive  ceremonies,  and  in  the  presence  of  several  thou- 
sand people  gathered   together  to  honor   the   memory  of  Naugatuck's   greatest 


358  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

benefactor  and  public-spirited  citizen,  the  handsome  and  imposing  structure 
which  will  forever  be  known  as  the  John  Howard  Whittemore  Memorial  Bridge, 
spanning  the  Naugatuck  River  on  Maple  Street,  was  dedicated  May  30,  1914.  It 
was  one  of  the  most  important  and  interesting  events  in  the  history  of  the 
borough  and  was  a  most  touching  and  affectionate  tribute  on  the  part  of  a  grateful 
and  appreciative  public  to  an  esteemed  citizen,  who  did  so  much  for  Naugatuck. 

John  Howard  Whittemore  died  at  Naugatuck,  May  28,  1910.  On  July  1, 
1910,  a  committee  was  appointed  "for  the  purpose  of  designing,  establishing  and 
placing  a  suitable  memorial  in  the  Borough  of  Naugatuck,  to  perpetuate  his  name 
and  memory." 

On  July  1,  1910,  a  mass  meeting  of  the  people  was  held  and  at  the  meeting 
the  following  vote  was  passed : 

"That  a  committee  of  eleven  be  appointed  to  make  all  arrangements  for  and 
to  do  whatever  is  necessary  in  collecting  a  fund,  designating,  establishing  and 
placing  a  suitable  memorial  in  the  Borough  of  Naugatuck  to  perpetuate  forever 
the  name  and  memory  of  John  Howard  Whittemore." 

In  accordance  with  that  vote  the  following  committee  was  appointed :  How- 
ard B.  Tuttle,  Miss  Josephine  A.  Maher,  William  Kennedy,  William  T.  Roden- 
bach,  Harry  I.  Crampton,  Samuel  E.  Hopkins,  Mrs.  George  A.  Lewis,  Eremont 
W.  Tolles,  Carl  W.  Thompson,  F.  F.  Schaffer,  Charles  T.  McCarthy.  Later  the 
following  were  added:     William  J.  Neary,  A.  B.  Cross,  Jr.,  George  C.  Ham. 

The  memorial  tablet  was  unveiled  by  Gertrude  Whittemore,  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Harris  Whittemore,  a  granddaughter  of  the  man  to  whose  memory 
the  bridge  was  erected. 

Mrs.  Bronson  B.  Tuttle,  widow  of  Bronson  B.  Tuttle  who  in  life  had  been 
for  many  years  a  business  associate  of  Mr.  Whittemore,  made  the  suggestion 
that  as  Mr.  Whittemore's  gifts  were  always  of  a  practical  character,  the 
memorial  should  be  one  which,  while  adding  to  the  beauty  of  the  borough's 
environment,  should  also  be  of  the  greatest  use  to  the  community,  and  as  the  old 
iron  bridge  over  the  Naugatuck  River  on  Maple  Street,  between  Water  and  Main 
streets,  was  becoming  unsafe  and  would  have  to  be  replaced  within  a  short  time, 
she  suggested  that  a  beautiful  bridge  at  this  point  would  fill  all  the  artistic  and 
practical  requirements  of  a  suitable  memorial. 

The  idea  met  with  approval  and  a  sub-committee  was  appointed  to  take 
charge  of  the  construction,  consisting  of  Samuel  E.  Hopkins,  Howard  B.  Tuttle, 
and  William  J.  Neary.  The  architect  was  Henry  Bacon,  of  New  York  City,  one 
of  the  country's  foremost  bridge  designers.  The  general  contract  for  building 
was  given  to  the  Tidewater  Building  Company  of  New  York  City,  a  company 
with  whose  operations  Mr.  Whittemore  had  in  life  been  long  identified.  The 
sub-contractors  were  Charles  F.  Parsons  Co.,  of  New  York  City,  and  Thomas 
F.  Jackson,  of  Waterbury,  and  the  superintendent  in  charge  of  construction  was 
Claude  Wilson. 

Work  was  begun  on  June  19,  1912,  the  first  abutment  being  started  July  1, 
1912,  and  the  first  stone  laid  August  i,  1912.  The  north  side  of  the  bridge,  it 
being  built  in  sections,  was  opened  on  December  13,  1912.  The  old  iron  bridge 
was  removed  February  5,  1913,  and  the  piers  and  abutments  were  completed 
May  5,  1913. 

The  south  side  was  completed  about  September  1,  19 13,  and  opened  about 
September  10th  of  the  same  year. 

THE    WHITTEMORE    GIFTS 

On  May  28,  19 10,  John  Howard  Whittemore,  Naugatuck's  foremost  citizen 
and  principal  benefactor,  succumbed  to  death.     Flags  were  hung  at  half  mast  on 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  359 

many  buildings  and  on  many  private  residences,  as  a  token  of  appreciation  of  a 
noble  citizen  and  as  an  expression  of  regret  at  bis  unexpected  deatb.  Tbe  serv- 
ices followed  two  days  later,  tbe  most  impressive  ever  held  in  the  borough's 
history. 

Naugatuck,  as  it  appears  today,  is  largely  a  monument  to  his  memory.  It 
was  through  bis  efforts  that  the  present  passenger  station  was  secured  for  the 
borough,  Mr.  YYhittemore  using  his  influence  as  a  director  of  the  New  York, 
New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad  to  obtain  the  station  and  allied  improvements. 
Other  reasons  for  bis  being  remembered  in  Naugatuck  arc  the  Howard  Whitte- 
more  Memorial  Library,  the  Public  Park  and  Soldiers'  Monument,  the  Nauga- 
tuck Golf  Clubhouse,  the  Public  Playground  on  Meadow  Street,  the  Salem  School, 
and  the  Naugatuck  High  School,  which  were  all  either  provided  by  Mr.  Whitte- 
more  or  obtained  through  his  efforts. 

Numerous  Naugatuck  enterprises  owed  to  Mr.  Whittemore  their  success,  his 
knowledge  of  affairs  making  his  advice  invaluable.  In  public  affairs  he  was  a 
valuable  aid  to  the  progress  of  the  borough. 

Mr.  Whittemore  was  born  in  Southbury  October  3,  1837.  He  attended  tbe 
public  schools  there  until  he  was  ten  years  old,  when  he  became  a  pupil  of  the 
Collegiate  and  Commercial  Institute  of  Gen.  William  H.  Russell,  in  New  Haven. 
He  had  intended  to  enter  Yale,  but  circumstances  prevented  him  from  taking 
the  intended  course. 

Mr.  Whittemore's  career  was  entirely  commercial  until  the  time  he  came  to 
Naugatuck  and  entered  the  employ  of  E.  C.  Tuttle  &  Co.,  manufacturers  of  farm 
tools,  remaining  with  them  until  they  were  burned  out  in  July,  1858.  A  few 
months  later  he  formed  a  partnership  under  the  name  of  Tuttle  &  Whittemore 
to  produce  malleable  iron.  The  firm  continued  until  1870,  when  it  was  organized 
as  a  joint  stock  corporation  under  the  name  of  Tuttle  &  Whittemore  Co.,  and 
ten  years  later  as  the  Naugatuck  Malleable  Iron  Company.  Other  malleable  iron 
companies  were  organized  in  various  parts  of  the  United  States,  all  remaining 
under  the  control  of  the  Naugatuck  concern. 

He  was  a  director  of  the  Colonial  Trust  Company  of  Waterbury,  and  was  at 
one  time  president  of  the  institution.  He  was  a  director  of  the  Waterbury  Hos- 
pital ;  of  Landers,  Frary  &  Clark,  of  New  Britain  ;  of  North  &  Judd,  New 
Britain,  and  was  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  Naugatuck  Savings  Bank. 

In  private  life  Mr.  Whittemore  was  unostentatious.  While  he  entertained 
freely,  his  entertainments  were  simple. 

Many  of  his  private  gifts  will  remain  unknown  save  to  the  recipients,  for 
Mr.  Whittemore  seldom  gave  publicity  to  bis  myriad  bequests. 

Publicly  and  privately  he  was  always  giving.  Thus  he  had  graded  and  kept 
in  repair  the  seven  miles  of  macadam  roadway  leading  to  his  country  home  at 
Middlebury.  He  built  the  granite  retaining  wall  along  Hillside  Cemetery.  He 
it  was  who  had  7,500  beautiful  shrubs  planted  along  both  banks  of  the  Nauga- 
tuck from  the  freight  house  to  the  station.  He  used  his  vast  fortune  very 
largely  for  the  benefit  of  his  home  town  and  did  not  confine  bis  gifts  to  Nauga- 
tuck. He  built,  at  a  cost  of  $250,000,  the  beautiful  Buckingham  Music  Hall 
Block,  in  Waterbury,  and  later  gave  it  to  the  Waterbury  Llospital  as  an  endow- 
ment. 

naugatuck's  banks 

Naugatuck  has  two  excellent  banks.  The  Naugatuck  National  Bank,  founded 
in  1883,  has  a  capital  stock  of  $too,ooo.  with  surplus  and  profits  $215,000.  Its 
deposits,  early  in  1917,  were  $800,000. 


360      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Its  present  officers  and  directors  are :  Fremont  W.  Tolles,  president ;  Arthur 
H.  Dayton,  cashier;  Howard  B.  Tuttle,  vice  president;  George  M.  Rumney, 
assistant  cashier;  George  T.  Wigmore,  assistant  cashier;  directors,  A.  H.  Day- 
ton, S.  E.  Hopkins,  Fremont  W.  Tolles,  Howard  B.  Tuttle,  Dwight  P.  Mills, 
Tracy  S.  Lewis. 

The  Naugatuck  Savings  Bank  was  founded  in  1870  by  the  following  incor- 
porators :  A.  J.  Pickett,  Hiel  S.  Stevens,  John  A.  Peck,  John  H.  Whittemore, 
George  A.  Lewis,  Homer  Twitchell,  John  L.  Isbell,  B.  M.  Hotchkiss,  Francis 
Spencer,  David  Smith,  Samuel  Hopkins,  Bronson  B.  Tuttle,  Calvin  A.  Hotch- 
kiss, Lucian  D.  Warner,  Luther  S.  Piatt. 

In  its  report,  October  1,  1916,  its  deposits  were  shown  to  be  $2,994,380.  It 
has  on  its  books  the  names  of  7,970  depositors,  a  gain  in  1916  of  692.  Its  loans 
on  real  estate,  mostly  in  Naugatuck  and  vicinity,  total  $1,395,094. 

Its  present  officers  are  as  follows :  L.  S.  Beardsley,  president ;  W.  T.  Roden- 
bach,  E.  E.  Hotchkiss,  vice  presidents ;  Arthur  H.  Dayton,  secretary ;  H.  A. 
Dalby,  treasurer;  trustees,  D.  P.  Mills,  T.  M.  Bull,  L.  C.  Warner,  F.  W.  Tolles, 
Harris  Whittemore. 

THE    PUBLIC    UTILITIES 

The  Naugatuck  Water  Company  was  organized  May  19,  1887.  Its  first  offi- 
cers were :  Homer  Twitchell,  president ;  Seabury  S.  Scott,  secretary  and  treas- 
urer; Thomas  Conran,  Adna  D.  Warner,  Dr.  F.  B.  Tuttle  and  B.  B.  Tuttle. 
directors.  Mr.  Twitchell  served  as  president  until  1890  and  was  succeeded  by 
Dr.  F.  B.  Tuttle.  Other  presidents  in  succession  have  been  Willard  Hopkins, 
A.  D.  Warner,  William  Ward  and  D.  P.  Mills,  the  last  named  holding  the  position 
at  the  present  time. 

In  1890,  Mr.  Scott  resigned  as  secretary  and  treasurer,  and  in  May,  of  that 
year,  E.  C.  Barnum  was  called  to  the  position  and  has  continued  to  the  present 
time. 

The  water  was  turned  into  the  mains  in  the  fall  of  1889.  It  is  obtained  from 
six  different  reservoirs :  Mulberry  Hill,  with  a  capacity  of  10,000,000  gallons ; 
Candee  Reservoir,  with  a  capacity  of  5,000,000  gallons;  Prospect  Storage,  with 
a  capacity  of  110,000,000  gallons;  Long  Hill  Brook  Reservoir,  with  a  capacity 
of  1,500,000  gallons;  the  Straitsville  Distributing  Reservoir,  with  a  capacity  of 
7,000,000  gallons ;  Long  Hill  Brook  Storage  Reservoir,  with  a  capacity  of  500.- 
000,000  gallons. 

There  is  a  total  storage  capacity  of  630,000,000  gallons  of  pure  drinking 
water,  which  is  analyzed  every  month  in  the  year. 

The  plant  develops  pressure  of  from  no  to  150  pounds,  has  41  miles  of 
4-inch  pipe  or  less,  has  145  double  and  2  single  hydrants  in  use  in  Naugatuck 
by  the  borough  and  58  double  and  3  single  hydrants  used  by  private  companies. 
The  secretary  issues  an  annual  report  to  the  directors  and  stockholders  which 
shows  the  company  in  excellent  condition. 

The  Naugatuck  Telephone  Company  was  organized  in  1879  and  in  1917  had 
over  two  thousand  telephones  in  use. 

The  Naugatuck  Electric  Light  Co.  was  chartered  April  16,  1887.  Its  first 
directors  were  L.  D.  Warner,  A.  H.  Dayton,  O.  M.  Young,  B.  B.  Tuttle,  E.  H. 
Warrington,  F.  W.  Tolles.  On  June  1,  1887,  the  first  arc  light  was  successfully 
illuminated  in  Naugatuck.  The  system  is  today  operated  by  the  United  Electric 
Light  &  Water  Company. 

In  1862  The  Naugatuck  Gas  Company  was  established,  but  this  existed  only 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  361 

a  few  years,  although  service  had  been  extended  to  the  principal  streets  of  the 
town.     Gas  is  now  supplied  from  Waterbury. 

Till-:    KIRK    AND    POLICE   DEPARTMENTS 

Naugatuck's  Fire  Department  history  begins  in  1882,  when  George  M.  Aller- 
ton,  then  president  of  The  Glove  Company,  organized  a  volunteer  company.  The 
organization  was  completed  on  February  6,  1893,  as  a  company  to  protect  the 
Goodyear  India  Rubber  Glove  Company's  property  and  adjacent  territory. 

At  the  meeting  at  this  time  Robert  M.  Morse  was  elected  as  engineer  chief. 
Isaac  A.  Moorse  was  elected  as  first  assistant  engineer,  and  Edward  H.  Jones 
second  assistant  engineer,  and  other  officers  elected  were  as  follows :  William  H. 
Vreedenburgh,  foreman  ;  J.  L.  Chevalier,  first  assistant  foreman ;  Andrew  Wylie, 
second  assistant  foreman;  I.  A.  Moorse,  secretary;  and  John  Trestrail,  treasurer. 

The  twenty-three  men  in  the  original  company  were  employes  of  the  glove 
concern  and  the  red  shirt  that  formed  a  part  of  their  uniform  carried  the  com- 
pany's trade  mark  across  the  breast.  The  organization  was  known  as  "Glove 
Co.  Hose  No.  1,"  and  their  apparatus  consisted  of  a  jumper  and  about  fifty  feet 
of  hose. 

The  town  authorities  established  the  Naugatuck  Fire  Department  after  the 
glove  concern  turned  the  apparatus  over  to  the  town  in  1890.  At  that  time  it 
numbered  thirty-five  men.  The  company  then  became  known  as  the  Naugatuck 
Hose  No.  1,  and  the  force  was  increased  to  sixty-five  men.  .The  first  building  for 
the  department  was  on  Water  Street,  which  was  formally  occupied  March  15, 
1892. 

On  September  4,  1899,  the  brick  hose  house  in  Union  City  was  opened  by  the 
department  with  a  parade  in  which  twenty-two  visiting  companies  with  about 
one  thousand  men  were  in  line.  A  huge  tent  was  pitched  on  the  green  and  dinner 
was  served  amid  a  general  frolic. 

Today  the  department  numbers  about  one  hundred  men  and  is  equipped  with 
the  most  modern  automobile  apparatus.  Two  fire  houses,  one  on  Maple  Street, 
and  the  other  in  Union  City,  furnish  quarters  for  the  department's  men  and 
apparatus,  with  the  entire  department  under  the  direction  of  Chief  Engineer 
George  Hoadley. 

The  police  department  had  its  inception  when  the  act  of  the  General  Assembly 
established  the  Borough  of  Naugatuck  in  1892.  At  this  time  the  borough  charter 
limited  the  size  of  the  police  force  to  twenty-five  men,  the  same  number  which  is 
today  policing  the  borough. 

The  act  gives  the  warden  and  burgesses  the  power  to  appoint  men  up  to  this 
limit  and  no  more.  Should  the  borough  find  more  police  necessary,  it  would  be 
necessary  to  have  a  special  amendment  to  the  borough  charter  passed  by  the 
Legislature. 

The  department  is  under  the  supervision  of  Chief  J.  B.  Schmidt,  and  the 
force  is  divided  among  regular  policemen  and  those  assigned  to  special  work. 

naugatuck's  new  postofkice 

It  took  the  United  States  a  long  time  to  recognize  Naugatuck  as  the  name  of 
the  postoffice  of  the  borough.*  When  it  was  first  established,  it  was  given  the 
name  Salem  Bridge,  which  endured  until  August  2T,  1834,  when  it  was  officially 


*  Doctor  Anderson's  history,  previously  quoted,  under  the  heading  of  "History  from 
Colonial  Period,"  conveys  the  impression  that  the  first  official  use  of  Naugatuck  as  the 
name  of  the  settlement,  was  in  the  act  of  1844  incorporating  the  borough. 


362  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

changed  to  Naugatuck,  although  the  latter  name  had  been  commonly  used  since 
1800. 

In  191 5  work  began  on  Naugatuck's  new  postoffice  on  Church  Street,  and 
this  was  occupied  in  1916.  The  building  has  a  frontage  on  Church  Street  of  76 
feet  8  inches,  the  depth  on  Cedar  Street  being  83  feet  8  inches.  It  is  one  story 
in  height,  fireproof  throughout,  and  faced  with  light  colored  stone  to  the  first 
floor  line.  Above  the  first  floor  light  buff,  rough  texture  brick  with  terra  cotta 
trim  is  used.    The  roof  is  tile. 

The  concrete  driveway  for  mail  wagons  enters  the  ground  from  Cedar  Street 
at  the  rear  of  the  building,  where  is  also  an  entrance  for  employes  and  a  base- 
ment entrance  to  the  building.  The  entrance  to  the  public  lobby  on  the  first  floor 
is  on  Church   Street. 

The  basement  contains  a  boiler  room,  fuel  and  storage  rooms,  and  a  civil 
service  room.  On  the  first  floor  is  the  public  lobby,  the  postoffice  work  room,  the 
money  order  and  registry  room  and  the  postmaster's  office,  and  two  large  vaults. 
The  public  lobby  is  12  by  48  feet  with  a  16- foot  ceiling.  The  floor  is  marble  tile, 
and  the  walls  are  finished  with  a  marble  base. 

SOME   NAUGATUCK    HOMES 

While  Naugatuck  is  essentially  an  industrial  borough,  it  is  also  a  town  of 
beautiful  homes.  Five  of  the  principal  streets  are  the  vantage  points  of  structures 
that  rival  many  residences  in  the  larger  cities. 

Along  North  Church  Street,  Millville,  Rockwell,  Fairview  and  Terrace  ave- 
nues, are  homes  that  represent  the  best  in  the  field  of  house  design. 

Among  the  most  notable  of  these  residences  is  the  home  of  Mrs.  J.  H.  Whitte- 
more  on  North  Church  Street.  It  is  modern  in  design,  surrounded  by  a  large 
lawn  that  sets  off  the  beauty  of  the  residential  picture. 

Other  beautiful  residences  are  those  of  F.  F.  Schaffer,  John  E.  McDonough, 
William  J.  Neary,  Howard  B.  Tuttle,  Lewis  C.  Warner,  Mrs.  B.  B.  Tuttle,  and 
Mrs.  A.  C.  Tuttle. 

THE  GENERAL   WASHINGTON   HOUSE 

Naugatuck  possesses  a  house  in  which  Washington  and  his  staff  were  once 
entertained.  It  is  situated  in  a  picturesque  spot  on  Woodbine  Street,  and  is  in  a 
remarkably  good  state  of  preservation. 

iln  the  days  of  the  Revolution,  it  was  used  as  a  tavern  and  there  is  indisputable 
evidence  of  the  fact  that  Washington  spent  a  night  there  while  traveling  between 
New  York  and  Boston.  Some  years  ago  a  bronze  tablet  was  attached  to  the 
house  by  Melicent  Porter  Chapter,  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution,  of 
Waterbury. 

On  the  tablet  is  inscribed  the  following: 

"Porter  House.  General  Washington  with  a  retinue  of  officers  and  men  was 
entertained  in  this  house  one  night  during  the  War  of  the  American  Revolution 
by  Capt.  Thomas  Porter  and  his  wife,  Mehitable.  Erected  by  Melicent  Porter 
Chapter,  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution,  Waterbury,  Conn.,  December, 
1901." 

THE   YOUNG    MEN'S    CHRISTIAN    ASSOCIATION    AND    SIMILAR    INSTITUTIONS 

The  Naugatuck  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  was  founded  in  1895.  It 
is  today  planning  the  erection  of  one  of  the  most  beautiful  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association  buildings  in  the  state.  In  a  campaign  early  in  191 7  it  obtained  pledges 
for  $285,000  and  this  is  now  being  paid  into  its  treasury. 


NAUGATUCK  STATION,   OF  THE  NEW  HAVEN  SYSTEM 


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WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  363 

It  lias  received  as  a  gift  a  fine  business  property  on  Maple  Street,  and  this  will 
probably  be  sold  to  pay  for  a  site  in  a  more  desirable  location.  At  present  it 
occupies  a  suite  of  rooms  on  Water  Street,  and  has  a  membership  of  several 
hundred. 

Its  officers  are:  President,  A.  II.  Dayton,  who  was  one  of  its  founders;  vice 
president,  Harris  Whittemore ;  general  secretary,  W.  E.  Brown ;  treasurer,  E.  E. 
Hotchkiss. 

The  idea  of  the  day  nursery  in  Naugatuck  was  first  given  expression  at  a  large 
gathering  of  ladies  in  the  rooms  of  the  Working  Girls'  Club  on  April  7,  191 1,  in 
a  talk  given  by  Miss  Dejean.  The  idea  was  taken  up  quickly  and  energetically 
and  by  May  31st  a  house  on  Central  Avenue,  wisely  furnished  and  well-planned 
for  the  comfort  of  the  children,  was  opened  as  a  clay  nursery.  The  association 
was  fortunate  in  securing  as  the  first  matron,  Mrs.  Charles  H.  Andrews. 

Mrs.  Andrews  made  of  the  nursery  a  home-like  place,  and  in  her  faithful 
attention  to  the  economical  running  of  the  house  and  her  showing  of  personal 
interest  in  each  child,  she  started  the  nursery  according  to  a  high  standard. 

For  a  year  the  nursery  flourished,  until  in  June,  1912,  it  became  necessary  to 
find  a  new  home  because  the  house  was  needed  for  other  tenants.  At  this  time 
Mr.  Harris  Whittemore  generously  offered  the  present  home  on  Water  Street, 
which  is  centrally  located  and  admirably  fitted  for  such  a  home. 

The  nursery  is  financed  by  an  association,  the  membership  fee  in  which  is 
$1.00  a  year,  with  the  privilege  of  giving  as  little  or  as  much  as  one  desires.  There 
are  many  generous  gifts  each  week  of  food,  clothing,  toys  and  furniture.  Each 
physician  in  town  gives  his  services  to  the  nursery  for  one  month  in  the  year. 

In  191 2,  when  it  became  necessary  to  raise  funds  for  the  payment  of  bills 
incurred  by  the  re-building  of  the  new  home,  Tag  Day  proved  how  many  friends 
the  nursery  had,  for  many  sacrificed  their  time  in  soliciting  funds,  and  there 
was  a  phenomenal  response  in  the  sum  of  $2,000,  which  placed  the  association 
securely  on  its  feet,  freeing  the  house  from  debt. 

The  purchasing  of  supplies  for  the  house,  which  the  younger  children  wear 
while  in  the  house,  the  bed  linen,  mattresses  and  such  household  necessities,  is  in 
charge  of  a  supply  committee,  of  which  Mrs.  North  Woodford  is  chairman. 

The  responsibility  for  the  repairs  and  upkeep  of  the  house  proper  is  in  charge 
of  a  house  committee  of  which  Mrs.  Richard  Owens  is  chairman. 

The  officers  of  the  association  are:  President,  Mrs.  W.  G.  Hard;  treasurer, 
Mrs.  G.  Dana  Warner;  secretary,  Mrs.  F.  F.  Schaffer. 

The  Naugatuck  Working  Girls'  Club,  organized  December  17,  1897,  is  located 
at  19  Park  Place,  and  is  an  Organization  that  endeavors  to  make  life  pleasanter 
for  girls  who  must  struggle  for  a  living  in  various  lines  of  commercial  endeavor. 
The  club  is  non-sectarian,  self-governing,  with  efforts  toward  encouraging  self 
support. 

Its  courses  of  instruction  include  cooking,  sewing,  dressmaking,  English, 
embroidery  and  physical  culture.  It  has  rooms  equipped  for  class  work,  social 
intercourse,  a  small  library,  many  magazines,  a  piano  and  a  Victrola.  Aside  from 
other  means  of  entertainment,  the  members  of  the  club  hold  Sunday  afternoon 
teas  and  occasionally  indulge  in  afternoon  walks. 

The  keynote  of  the  club  is  comfort,  amusement  and  above  all,  contentment. 
The  officers  of  the  club  are  constantly  creating  new  activities  that  will  aid  in 
the  development  of  its  members,  create  further  opportunity  for  friendship  and 
opportunities  for  improvement. 

The  officers  are:  K.  Maude  Smith,  president;  Margaret  Doolan.  vice  presi- 
dent ;  Celia  Aim,  secretary ;  Catherine  Sugrue,  treasurer. 


CHAPTER  XXXI 
THE  TOWN  OF  SEYMOUR 

ITS       THREE        NAMES POPULATION CHURCHES SCHOOLS LIBRARY SEYMOUR'S 

BANK ITS       MANUFACTURING      INTERESTS TRANSPORTATION THE      SEYMOUR 

RECORD FIRE    PROTECTION    AND   DEPARTMENT PARK    AND    MONUMENT TOWN 

OFFICERS SOCIETIES  AND  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE. 

Seymour  has  had  three  names  in  its  long  history.  The  first  which  clung  to 
it  for  over  a  century  was  Chusetown,  the  name  of  a  friendly  Indian  chiet.  The 
second  to  which  it  might  well  have  clung,  but  for  a  desire  to  do  honor  elsewhere, 
was  Humphreysville,  after  David  Humphreys,  who  started  many  of  its  industries, 
gave  of  his  time  and  his  money  to  develop  the  town,  and  whose  life  is  a  chapter 
of  deep  interest  to  all  who  study  the  development  of  the  Naugatuck  Valley.  In 
1850,  when  it  incorporated,  it  took  the  name  of  Seymour,  after  the  governor  of 
that  name. 

In  1900  the  population  of  Seymour  was  3,541,  with  a  school  enumeration  of 
789.  In  1910  the  population  had  grown  to  4,786,  and  today  it  is  approximately 
six  thousand.  Its  grand  list  in  1902  was  $2,803,781.  In  1917  it  is  $4,350,128. 
Its  children  of  school  age  in  19 17  number  1,274. 

From  this  small  town  there  go  forth  annually  a  considerable  percentage  of 
all  the  fountain  pens  used  in  the  world.  Aside  from  brass  and  copper  goods, 
now  developed  into  its  main  industry,  with  a  factory  employing  1,400  hands,  it 
makes  plush  and  brocatelle,  hard  rubber  goods,  boring  implements,  edge  tools, 
horse  nails,  paper,  telegraph  cables,  bicycle  parts,  eyelets,  grommets,  and  now 
during  the  war  period,  munitions. 

It  is,  however,  much  more  than  a  mere  manufacturing  town, — it  is  a  beautiful 
home  town,  with  its  citizens  working  harmoniously  to  develop  it  along  up-to-date 
civic  lines.  This  civic  pride  has  been  handed  down  from  father  to  son,  and  is 
evidenced  in  such  splendid  gifts  as  its  library  building,  its  park,  its  church  addi- 
tions, and  its  soldiers'  monument. 

In  the  following  history,  the  facts  covering  its  development  up  to  1902  have 
been  obtained  largely  from  the  excellent  book  on  Seymour  written  and  published 
by  Wm.  C.  Sharpe,  editor  of  the  Seymour  Record.  In  his  volume  he  has  delved 
thoroughly  into  early  sources,  narrates  with  a  virile  pen  the  story  of  its  land- 
marks and  has  even  gone  fully  into  the  genealogical  history  of  its  noted  families. 

ITS    CHURCHES 

The  oldest  existing  religious  organization  in  Seymour  is  the  Congregational 
Society,  which  was  formed  November  3,  1789,  as  appears  by  an  old  manuscript 
preserved  in  the  records  of  the  Town  of  Derby. 

Rev.  Benjamin  Beach  was  the  first  pastor  and  appears  to  have  been  in  Sey- 
mour before  the  formation  of  the  society,  as  he  had  the  parsonage  built  in  1789. 

In  181 7  the  church,  or,  as  it  was  then  called,  the  meetinghouse,  was  sold  to  the 
Methodists  and  a  new  church  was  built  on  the  plateau  south  of  the  Whittemore 

364 


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WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  365 

Tavern.  This  church  was  begun  in  1818  and  was  built  in  more  modern  church 
style  than  the  original  structure,  the  spire,  however,  not  being  added  until  1829. 

The  growth  of  the  village  in  succeeding  years  was  in  such  direction  as  to 
make  the  location  of  this  second  church  seem  altogether  too  much  to  one  side  of 
the  center  of  population,  and  in  1846  a  third  church  was  begun,  the  church  now 
standing.  This  church  was  dedicated  April  20,  1847,  and  has  been  in  use  seventy 
years.  In  1890  the  church  was  enlarged  by  an  addition  on  the  south  end,  with 
interior  changes  at  a  cost  of  about  five  thousand  dollars  and  a  new  pipe  organ 
at  a  cost  of  $2,500. 

The  church  has  an  excellent  parish  library  of  several  hundred  volumes,  which 
was  donated  by  Hon.  James  Swan  in  1883,  for  the  use  of  adults,  and  to  which 
large  additions  have  since  been  made,  beside  the  Sunday  School  library  of  several 
hundred  volumes. 

Rev.  Dr.  Geo.  F.  Abel  is  now  pastor. 

Rev.  Jesse  Lee,  the  New  England  apostle  of  Methodism,  first  came  to  Derby 
in  1 791  and  from  a  Methodist  society  formed  there  came  those  who  constituted 
the  first  Methodist  organization  in  what  is  now  Seymour.  This,  according  to 
evidence  recorded  by  one  of  the  early  veterans,  was  February  7,  1797,  with 
Daniel  Rowe  as  leader.  The  original  members  were  Jesse  Johnson,  Isaac  John- 
son, Esther  Baldwin,  Sarah  Baldwin  and  Eunice  Baldwin ;  George  Clark,  Lucy 
Hitchcock,  Silas  Johnson  and  Olive  Johnson  were  soon  added  to  the  number. 

At  first  the  meetings  were  held  in  private  houses  and  in  schoolhouses,  and  in 
the  assembly  rooms  of  the  Dayton,  Whittemore  and  Moulthrop  taverns,  and  it  is 
recorded  that  as  early  as  1803  they  were  allowed  to  hold  meetings  in  the  old 
Congregational  meetinghouse. 

In  1817  the  Methodists  purchased  this  church  and  raised  it  a  story,  increasing 
the  seating  capacity  by  putting  in  side  galleries. 

The  old  meeting-house  was  sold  for  $100  and  was  torn  down,  and  the  corner- 
stone of  a  new  church  was  laid  June  19,  1847.  The  church  was  Gothic  in  de- 
sign, 40  by  60  feet,  with  a  basement  mostly  above  ground,  containing  a  com- 
modious lecture  room  and  two  classrooms,  and  had  an  excellent  toned  bell. 

The  present  edifice  was  built  in  1891,  at  a  cost  exceeding  eighteen  thousand 
dollars,  including  the  refitting  of  the  older  structure,  which  is  used  for  a  lecture 
room  and  for  the  Sunday  School.  The  subscription  for  the  new  church  was 
headed  by  L.  T.  Wooster  with  $1,000,  and  all  gave  liberally,  then  and  since,  so 
that  the  society  is  now  clear  of  debt  and  in  possession  of  one  of  the  handsomest 
churches  in  the  valley.  The  new  church  was  dedicated  June  19,  1891.  The 
beautiful  pipe  organ,  which  was  put  in  at  a  cost  of  $1,500,  was  also  the  gift  of 
L.  T.  Wooster. 

The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  G.  W.  Simonson. 

On  the  1 2th  of  February,  1797,  thirty-nine  persons  living  within  the  bounds 
of  the  proposed  new  parish,  were  notified  to  meet  on  the  20th  of  that  month  at 
the  house  of  Dr.  Samuel  Sanford  for  the  purpose  of  forming  a  Protestant 
Episcopal  society.  At  the  time  named,  all  were  present  and  Benjamin  Davis 
was  elected  moderator,  Samuel  Sanford  clerk,  and  Joel  Chatfield,  Israel  French 
and  Jonathan  Miles,  society's  committee. 

The  land  upon  which  the  church  now  stands  was  purchased  of  Leverett 
Pritchard  March  23,  1797,  for  $60. 

The  first  rector  of  the  church  was  Doctor  Mansfield,  whose  parish  consisted 
of  the  present  towns  of  Derby,  Orange.  Woodbridge,  Seymour,  Oxford.  South- 
bury,  Naugatuck  and  Waterbury.  He  was  rector  of  St.  James'  Church,  Derby, 
seventy-two  years   without  a  break—  a   solitary  instance,   it   is  believed,   in  the 


366  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Episcopal  Church  of  this  country.     He  lived  to  the  ripe  old  age  of  ninety-six, 
and  died  in  1820. 

The  Sunday  School  dates  from  1827,  and  in  the  same  year  a  bell  was  obtained 
for  the  church.  The  name  of  the  parish  and  church  was  changed  from  Union  to 
Trinity  at  Easter,  1856,  and  in  the  following  year  the  church  was  repaired  and 
improved  at  a  cost  of  about  six  thousand  dollars.  The  seating  capacity  of  the 
church  was  doubled  and  the  interior  was  re-furnished.  The  remodeled  and  reno- 
vated building  was  dedicated  by  Bishop  Williams,  May  n,  1858. 

At  present  the  rector  is  Rev.  W.  A.  Woodford,  appointed  in  1900. 

Roman  Catholic  services  were  first  held  in  Seymour  in  1844,  in  the  "Old 
Long  House"  on  the  site  of  the  fire  engine  house,  by  Rev.  Father  Smith  of  New 
Haven.  There  were  then  only  six  men  of  the  Roman  Catholic  faith  in  the  village, 
then  known  as  Humphreysville.  They  were  Nicholas  and  Daniel  Brockway, 
Nicholas  Cass,  Patrick  and  Thomas  Gaffney,  and  James  Ouinlan.  The  "Long 
House,"  in  which  mass  was  celebrated  in  1844,  was  on  the  east  side  of  what  is 
now  Raymond  Street.  It  was  a  two  story  building,  intended  for  six  families, 
and  was  torn  down  some  fifty-five  years  ago,  and  the  fire  engine  house  now 
stands  where  the  south  end  of  the  "Long  House"  was. 

The  first  resident  pastor,  Rev.  John  McMahon,  was  stationed  there  in  October, 
1885,  and  remained  until  May  1,  1886,  when  Rev.  R.  C.  Gragan  was  appointed 
pastor. 

Ground  was  broken  for  a  new  church  May  4,  1888,  and  the  cornerstone  was 
laid  by  Right  Reverend  Bishop  McMahon,  July  15,  1888.  The  church  was  occu- 
pied for  the  first  time  December  25,  1889,  and  was  dedicated  May  18,  1890. 

The  Church  of  St.  Augustine  is  a  handsome  building,  of  wood,  facing  on 
Washington  Avenue,  and  overlooking  the  central  part  of  the  town.  Its  dimen- 
sions are  53  by  101  feet,  with  a  spire  118  feet  in  height,  and  dials  on  the  four 
sides,  ready  for  a  clock.  A  fine  bell  has  been  put  in.  The  interior  of  the  church 
is  finished  in  cherry  and  oak,  and  the  frescoing  is  in  light  shades,  giving  a  very 
pleasing  effect.  The  windows  are  of  stained  glass.  The  seating  capacity  of  the 
church  is  600.    The  cost  of  the  edifice  was  $13,000. 

The  three  handsome  altars  finished  in  gold  and  white,  were  all  donated,  the 
large  central  altar  by  Rev.  R.  C.  Gragan,  then  the  pastor  of  the  church ;  the  altar 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin  by  the  Scapular  Society  and  the  Society  of  the  Children  of 
Mary ;  and  the  altar  of  St.  Joseph  by  Mrs.  Ellen  Fitzgibbons.  Starting  with  six 
Catholics  in  1844,  St.  Augustine's  Parish  has  today  about  seven  hundred  mem- 
bers, 600  in  Seymour  proper,  and  the  remainder  in  Beacon  Falls  and  Oxford. 
Father  C.  A.  Leddy  is  now  in  charge  of  the  parish. 

The  German  Lutheran  Church  was  organized  in  1893  under  the  direction  of 
Rev.  Jacobus  Wittke.  A  site  was  selected  on  West  Street,  near  Church  Street, 
and  the  building  was  erected  in  1894  and  was  dedicated  on  Thanksgiving  Day. 
Rev.  Jacobus  Wittke  resigned  in  1894  and  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  R.  Lucas,  who 
remained  until  1897.  Rev.  Max  Mueller  was  the  pastor  in  1897-8,  and  the  Rev. 
Paul  E.  T.  Lempke  followed.     The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  H.  A.  Hunziger. 

The  Great  Hill  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  is  one  of  the  oldest  Methodist 
societies  in  Connecticut,  and  at  one  time  ranked  highest  in  strength  and  numbers 
in  the  Derby  Circuit,  which  then  included  the  towns  of  the  Naugatuck  Valley  as 
far  as  Waterbury. 

The  present  church  edifice  was  built  by  subscription  in  1853-4.  Almost  the 
only  preaching  on  the  hill  for  the  forty  years  preceding  had  been  by  the  Meth- 
odists, to  whom  the  old  Congregational  Church  had  been  given  up.  The  church 
was  dedicated  on  Wednesday,  October  25,  1854. 


A 


ST.   AUGUSTINE   ROMAN   CATHOLIC  CHURCH,  SEYMOUR 


WATERBURV  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  367 

A  legacy  of  $5,000  was  left  to  the  church  by  Mrs.  Cynthia  Treat  Merrill,  of 
New  Haven,  who  died  in  1887,  the  money  to  be  paid  over  to  the  society  at  the 
end  of  ten  years  from  her  death.  She  also  left  $2,000  to  the  society  on  condition 
that  an  evening  school  be  maintained  several  months  every  year,  and  $2,000 
more  for  literary  purposes. 

These  funds  are  now  available  and  the  school  is  successfully  conducted. 

THE    SCHOOLS 

In  1 85 1  the  Humphreysville  High  School  Association  was  incorporated,  and 
the  shares  were  to  be  $25  each,  and  the  management  was  invested  in  a  board  of 
five  trustees,  and  the  teachers  were  Professor  Gay  and  Frederick  Durand.  In 
accordance  with  the  new  state  law,  in  October,  1864,  the  town  authorized  a  new 
Union  High  School  to  be  established  by  the  following  committee,  who  were  also 
to  superintend  the  same,  independent  of  the  school  society :  Burton  W.  Smith, 
Harvey  Hotchkiss,  and  George  W.  Divine.  The  old  Glendenning  Building  on 
Broad  Street  was  leased  for  the  old  school,  and  the  first  teacher  was  Miss 
Hermance.     Besides  the  high  school,  there  were  two  intermediate  grades. 

The  consolidated  district  was  established  by  the  town  in  October,  1868,  in- 
cluding all  the  schools  in  the  town  and  the  following  school  committee  was 
elected :  Eli  Gillett,  C.  W.  Storrs,  J.  W.  Bassett,  Joshua  Kendall,  C.  W.  James, 
Harpin  Riggs,  Joel  R.  Chatfield,  Peter  Worth  and  Henry  Davis.  The  work  for 
the  new  high  school  house  began  in  June,  1884.  The  architect  was  L.  W.  Robinson 
of  New  Haven. 

The  building  is  of  brick,  with  white  stone  trimmings,  and  a  handsome  tower 
adds  grace  and  beauty ;  the  building  is  65  by  72  feet,  and  has  nine  commodious 
rooms  with  ample  dressing  rooms  and  seating  accommodations,  including  the 
annex  recently  added. 

The  Second  Street  School  grew  out  of  a  select  school  which  was  held  in 
1847,  m  a  building  a  little  south  of  the  pin  shop,  on  the  bank  of  the  river  and  on 
the  old  road  extending  from  the  Bristol  Street  Bridge  to  a  point  a  little  west  of 
the  engine  house.  This  building  was  taken  for  the  district  school,  and  was  moved 
to  a  lot  west  of  the  engine  house.  At  the  time  of  the  building  of  the  car  shops, 
the  schoolhouse  suffered  two  other  movings,  until  it  finally  reached  its  present 
location  at  the  upper  end  of  Second  Street. 

As  early  as  1769,  Joseph  Johnson  deeded  a  piece  of  land  on  the  east  side  of 
Pearl  Street  near  the  Smith  Tyrrell  place,  or  nearly  opposite  Grand  Street,  for  a 
schoolhouse.  This  building  was  occupied  for  forty  years,  and  was  known  as  the 
Sixth  District. 

About  1 8 14- 1 6  a  school  building  was  erected  on  the  site  of  the  present  Bell 
Schoolhouse,  a  building  of  two  stories,  also  having  a  tower  and  bell. 

The  district  was  divided  in  1837,  the  north  part  being  called  the  Seventh 
District,  which  is  known  in  recent  years  as  Cedar  Ridge.  Between  1840-43  the 
town  made  arrangements  to  cut  down  the  Bell  Schoolhouse  to  one  story,  making 
a  neat,  attractive  building,  located  on  the  rocks  on  High  Street,  near  Pearl. 

Cedar  Ridge  School  became  a  district  in  1837,  then  the  Seventh  District.  In 
1868  the  town  built  a  new  schoolhouse,  which  in  the  last  two  decades  was  first 
enlarged  and  later  completely  rebuilt. 

There  was  a  district  formed  on  the  west  side  of  the  river  as  early  as  Decem- 
ber 27,  1779,  called  the  Shrub  Oak  District.  This  school  is  referred  to  in  the 
Old  Landmarks.  The  schoolhouse  was  located  on  West  Street,  by  the  path 
leading  to  Swan's  upper  shops,  where  Mrs.  Ann  Stephens  spent  the  first  of  her 


368      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

school  days.  Later  the  building  was  moved  to  the  lot  in  the  fork  of  the  roads 
opposite  Trinity  Cemetery ;  and  still  later,  a  new  building  was  erected  on  Cedar 
Street,  on  the  rocks  west  of  the  Congregational  Church.  This  district  included 
a  portion  of  Great  Hill  region  at  first,  but  in  the  course  of  time  there  was  a 
demand  for  a  school  on  the  crown  of  the  hill  on  Bungay  Road,  which  was  called 
the  Bungay  School,  the  center  of  a  new  district. 

Great  Hill  School  was  the  eighth  district  of  the  Town  of  Derby  and  the  first 
district  of  the  Town  of  Seymour.  A  new  house  was  erected  in  1832,  and  the 
present  schoolhouse  was  built  on  a  new  location,  and  was  finished  at  the  beginning 
of  the  year  1878.  The  school  on  Great  Hill  has  been  one  of  the  prosperous 
schools  of  the  town.  It  has  recently  been  enlarged  and  its  accommodations 
nearly  doubled. 

The  Maple  Street  School,  a  model,  two-story,  eight-room,  brick  building, 
was  opened  in  1915. 

The  superintendent  of  schools  in  191 7  is  Ridgely  C.  Clark. 

THE  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

The  Seymour  Free  Public  Library  was  established  in  1892.  Since  its  organ- 
ization, it  has  become  one  of  Seymour's  popular  institutions,  for  a  long  time 
occupying  the  second  floor  of  the  Town  building  on  Second  Street. 

The  new  building,  a  beautiful,  modern  library  building,  was  completed  in 
191 5.  The  gift  of  $30,000  by  Henry  P.  and  Edmund  Day  for  the  building  and 
books,  and  of  $55,000  by  Charles  P.  Wooster,  formerly  of  Seymour,  now  of 
New  Haven,  for  maintenance,  created  not  alone  a  building  and  equipment,  but 
an  endowment  fund  as  well.  There  are  over  7,000  volumes  in  the  library.  The 
librarian  is  Miss  Roetta  Danbury.  The  officers  are :  William  L.  Ward,  president ; 
Mrs.  E.  A.  Klatte,  secretary ;  W.  C.  Sharpe,  treasurer. 

Seymour's  bank 

The  Valley  National  Bank  was  granted  its  charter  July  16,  1900,  and  the 
bank  was  opened  for  the  transaction  of  business  August  14,  1900.  The  bank  is 
located  on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Bank  streets,  in  the  building  erected  for  bank- 
ing purposes  nearly  a  half  century  ago.  In  June,  1901,  it  was  incorporated  for 
$70,000  as  the  Seymour  Trust  Company.  Its  officers  are :  President,  George  E. 
Matthies ;  secretary  and  treasurer,  Clayton  S.  Boies.  In  November,  1917,  it 
had  on  deposit  $716,882.00  in  savings.  Its  surplus  and  undivided  profits  on 
November  20,  1917,  were  $50,695.75. 

ITS  MANUFACTURING  INTERESTS 

In  1785  John  Wooster  and  Bradford  Steele  leased  for  999  years  for  fifteen 
pounds,  "a  certain  spot  or  privilege  at  a  place  called  Rimmon  Falls  upon  the 
east  side  of  the  Naugatuck  River"  for  the  purpose  of  building  a  blacksmith  shop, 
and  erecting  a  hammer  to  go  by  water.  They  manufactured  scythes  and  did  other 
blacksmith  work,  setting  up  a  grindstone  and  other  machinery  necessary  for 
conducting  the  business.  The  deed  states  that  the  land  had  a  front  of  fifty  feet 
on  the  flume  and  was  next  to  the  river. 

Gen.  David  Humphreys,  who  was  to  be  so  closely  identified  with  the  interests 
of  the  place,  came  and  purchased  the  Falls  property  December  13,  1803. 

General  Humphreys  had,  while  minister  to  Spain  in  1802,  imported  100  merino 
sheep  and  he  chose  this  place  for  the  headquarters  of  the  sheep-raising  business, 


CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH  AND  SWAN  MEMORIAL,  SEYMOUR 


TRINITY    PROTESTANT  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH,   SEYMOUR 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  369 

as  well  as  for  the  manufacture  of  woolen  cloth.  The  great  superiority  of  the 
wool  of  the  merino  sheep  being  immediately  manifest,  farmers  were  everywhere 
glad  to  avail  themselves  of  the  opportunity  to  improve  their  stock.  General  Hum- 
phreys did  not  encourage  speculation  but  distributed  his  sheep  judiciously  among 
the  farmers  at  $100  each,  a  price  said  to  be  less  than  the  original  cost.  When  the 
price  rose  to  $400  he  refused  to  sell,  saying  that  he  believed  such  sales  would 
lead  to  ruinous  speculation.  But  soon  the  price  of  merino  bucks  went  up  to 
$1,500  and  a  few  were  even  sold  as  high  as  $3,000,  and  ewes  sold  from  $1,000 
to  $1,500.  John  Bassett  was  offered  $1,000  by  Philo  Bassett  for  a  full-blooded 
merino  ewe  lamb  eight  days  old  and  refused  to  take  less  than  $1,500.  A  few 
days  after  it  was  killed  by  a  fox.  Two  young  farmers  united  in  buying  a  buck 
at  $1,500  and  the  same  day  it  died  by  being  choked  with  an  apple.  But  such 
mishaps  checked  the  speculation  but  little,  and  it  rapidly  extended  throughout 
New  England,  Vermont  people  in  particular  being  quickly  supplied  with  some 
of  the  merinos. 

General  Humphreys  considered  it  of  great  importance  to  the  interests  of  the 
country  that  manufactures,  especially  that  of  woolen  cloths,  should  be  introduced, 
and  went  to  England,  investigated  the  manufacture  of  woolen  cloths  there  and 
made  the  acquaintance  of  John  Winterbotham,  who  was  thoroughly  informed  in 
every  branch  of  the  business.  General  Humphreys  persuaded  Mr.  Winterbotham 
to  sell  his  business  there  and  come  to  this  country  to  establish  the  business  here. 

General  Humphreys  associated  with  him  in  business,  also  Capt.  Thomas  Vose 
of  Derby,  the  business  being  conducted  under  the  name  of  T.  Vose  &  Company. 

The  name  "Chusetown,"  after  the  Indian  Chief  Chuse,  appears  on  the  Derby 
records  as  late  as  1804,  but  was  changed  by  the  legislature  in  that  year  to  Hum- 
phreysville  in  honor  of  General  Humphreys  and  this  name  was  retained  until  1850. 

In  1 810  the  company  was  re-organized  and  the  name  was  changed  from  T. 
Vose  &  Company  to  the  Humphreysville  Manufacturing  Company. 

Furniture  making  was  also  one  of  the  early  industries  in  Seymour.  One  man, 
the  ancestor  of  some  of  the  present  people  of  Seymour,  built  a  dam  and  a  little 
mill,  fitted  up  with  a  saw  and  lathe,  and  some  other  labor  saving  machinery, 
made  bureaus  and  bedsteads,  tables,  chairs,  cradles  and  coffins,  for  his  neigh- 
bors, and  then,  to  fill  in  the  spare  time,  made  up  stock  for  great  numbers  of  chairs 
and  sent  them  "knockdown"  to  New  York.  They  were  drawn  by  an  ox  team  to 
Derby  and  taken  thence  by  a  sailing  vessel  to  New  York.  A  young  man  who 
had  been  an  assistant  in  the  "cabinetmaker's"  little  shop  went  to  New  York 
with  the  cargo,  put  the  chairs  together  and  sold  them,  and  remained  there  as 
agent  for  this  cabinetmaker  and  others,  and  became  wealthy.  This  was  George 
Tomlinson,  who  died  in  Seymour  only  a  few  years  ago. 

For  over  a  century  Seymour  has  been  noted  for  the  manufacture  of  augers 
and  bits.  Walter  French  came  there  from  Mansfield,  Conn.,  about  18 10,  and 
commenced  the  manufacture  of  screw  augers  by  hand.  He  built  a  shop  near 
Little  River,  about  half  a  mile  from  its  mouth,  on  land  now  owned  by  the  James 
Swan  Company.  The  first  double  twist  screw  augers  ever  offered  for  sale  in 
New  York  City  were  made  in  Seymour  by  Walter  French. 

The  James  Swan  Company  is  the  leading  representative  of  one  of  the  oldest 
manufacturing  industries  in  the  town,  the  manufacture  of  mechanics  tools.  The 
Douglass  Manufacturing  Company's  auger  and  bit  works  at  the  mouth  of  Little 
River  were  established  in  1856.  there  were  then  two  factories,  one  in  Seymour 
for  the  manufacture  of  augers,  auger  bits.  etc..  the  other  at  Arlington.  Vt.,  for 
the  manufacture  of  edge  tools. 

The  works  were  purchased  in  i860  by  Mr.  F.  L.  Ames,  of  the  firm  of  Oliver 

Vol.  1—2  1 


370  W'ATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Ames  &  Sons,  who  also  purchased  the  exclusive  right  to  manufacture  Cook's 
patent  boring  implements.  Mr.  Ames  found  the  factory  in  Seymour  insufficient 
for  the  purpose  and  built  a  second  large  factory  above  the  old  one,  on  the  same 
stream.  The  property  was  controlled  by  Mr.  Ames  until  1873,  when  it  was 
sold  to  Thomas  Douglass  and  Richard  P.  Brufr.  Under  their  management  still 
further  enlargement  was  made,  a  third  factory  further  up  the  stream  being  hired 
from  Mr.  James  Swan  who  had  been  identified  with  the  business  as  superin- 
tendent and  manager  since  June,   1865. 

In  1874  the  property  passed  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  James  Flint  and  the 
Russell  &  Erwin  Manufacturing  Company  of  New  York,  and  was  incorporated 
in  that  year.  In  1876,  the  auger  and  bit  business  was  concentrated  in  the  upper 
shops,  and  the  edge  tool  work  at  Arlington  was  brought  to  Seymour  and  carried 
on  in  the  middle  shops. 

The  works  were  purchased  by  Mr.  Swan  in  1877,  and  The  James  Swan 
Company  has  since  had  the  entire  control.  The  president  of  the  company  in 
191 7  is  William  B.  Swan,  succeeding  to  the  place  after  the  death  of  James  Swan. 
The  secretary  is  John  Swan.     Its  capital  is  $125,000. 

The  Humphrey sville  Manufacturing  Company  had  an  unbroken  existence 
from  1806  until  1 9 1 5 .  The  principal  line  of  manufacture  by  the  company  for 
more  than  half  a  century  was  augers  and  bits,  and  the  business  was  carried 
on  in  the  buildings  erected  for  that  purpose  in  1845,  although  other  buildings 
were  later  added. 

The  company  was  finally  re-incorporated  in  1910,  but  ran  only  a  few  years. 
The  east  half  of  the  old  factory  has  recently  been  used  as  an  armory,  the  west 
half  being  used  by  the  New  Haven  Copper  Company. 

The  Fowler  Nail  Company  was  organized  and  incorporated  in  1866,  with 
a  capital  of  $60,000,  for  the  manufacture  of  Vulcan  horseshoe  nails,  the  ma- 
chinery and  process  being  the  invention  of  Thaddeus  Fowler,  from  whom  the 
company  was  named.  These  nails,  which  were  the  first  satisfactory  machine- 
pointed  horseshoe  nails,  have  won  a  reputation  for  reliability  under  tf>k  most 
difficult  tests,  which  has  made  a  demand  for  them  throughout  the  United  States 
and  in  foreign  countries.  The  business  was  first  begun  in  the  Humphreys  mill, 
but  soon  increased  to  such  an  extent  that  a  larger  building  was  r  -^ssary  and 
the  property  now  occupied  was  purchased.  The  main  building  h;.J  been  erected 
for  the  manufacture  of  wire,  but  had  not  been  occupied  for  that  purpose.  Addi- 
tional buildings  have  been  erected,  and  for  fifty  years  the  company  has  given 
employment  to  a  large  number  of  people.  Large  additions  were  built  in  1905 
and  T906.  The  officers  of  the  company  in  1902  were  Carlos  French,  president 
and  treasurer;  Louis  II.  Bristol,  secretary,  and  Raymond  T.  French,  assistant 
treasurer.  Raymond  T.  French  succeeded  to  the  presidency  on  the  death  of 
Carlos  French.  Its  officers  in  1917  are:  President  E.  G.  Stoddard  of  New 
Haven ;  secretary,  John  W.  Bristol  of  New  Hampshire.  Its  capital  is  now 
$190  .poo. 

The  Tingue  Manufacturing  Company  was  organized  in  1880  by  John  H. 
Tingue,  who  purchased  the  brick  mill  and  other  buildings  at  the  Falls.  The 
company  in  T902  had  a  capital  of  $200,000,  now  increased  to  $300000.  It  began 
with  John  II.  Tingue  as  president  and  treasurer,  and  Charles  Coupland  as 
general  manager.  On  the  death  of  the  former  W.  J.  Tingue  succeeded  to  the 
presidency  of  the  corporation.  The  principal  product  of  the  mill  for  many  years 
was  mohair  plush,  which  was  manufactured  by  machinery  and  processes  made 
possible  by  the  ingenuity  of  the  late  Charles  Coupland,  who  in  1880  invented 
a  new  and  very  speedy  way  of  weaving  mohair  pile  goods  by  a  process  which 


THE  NEW   HAVEN   COPPER  COMPANY,   SEYMOUR 


SEYMOUR  TRUST  COMPANY,  SEYMOUR 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  371 

was  a  radical  departure  from  all  previous  methods.  Until  the  business  was 
established  in  Seymour,  this  line  of  goods  was  manufactured  only  in  Europe. 
The  mohair  consists  of  the  fleece  of  the  Angora  goat,  whose  home  is  in  Asia 
Minor.     It  has  since  been  imported  and  bred  in  this  country. 

The  company  now  manufactures  plush,  brocatelle  and  yarn. 

The  officers  of  the  company  in  1900  were  Wm.  G.  Tingue,  Greenwich,  pres- 
ident; David  Torrance,  Derby,  secretary:  Howard  Tingue,  Greenwich,  vice 
president. 

Today  the  officers  are:  President,  Howard  Tingue,  New  York;  treasurer, 
Win.  G.  Tingue,  Jr.,  Xew  York. 

The  11.  A.  Matthews  Manufacturing  Company,  capital  $85,000,  was  organ- 
ized in  1890  for  the  manufacture  of  stove  trimmings  and  other  hardware,  and 
in  1895  added  the  making  of  bicycle  parts.  Their  works  at  the  mouth  of  Little 
River  have  been  enlarged,  and  greatly  improved,  and  now  include  the  main 
building  36  by  125,  an  annex  24  by  89,  an  office  and  stock  room,  and  a  boiler  house, 
and  two  buildings  60  by  120  and  60  by  60  erected  in  1910.  The  machinery  is  of 
the  most  improved  pattern  and  includes  mammoth  presses.  The  works  turn  out 
numerous  specialties  in  brass,  steel  and  composition  metal.  Since  1914,  the 
works  have  been  occupied  largely  with  munition  orders. 

The  officers  of  the  company  in  1902  were  James  Swan,  president ;  Carlos 
French,  vice  president ;  Geo.  E.  Matthies,  secretary,  and  F.  H.  Beecher,  treasurer 
and  manager. 

The  present  officials  are :  President  and  treasurer,  George  E.  Matthies ;  vice 
president,  W.  H.  H.  Wooster;  secretary  and  assistant  treasurer,  A.  L.  Clark. 
Its  capital  is  now  $90,000. 

The  New  Haven  Copper  Company,  manufacturers  of  braziers  and  sheathing 
copper,  was  organized  in  1848  and  the  large  stone  building  now  in  use  was  then 
erected  on  land  which  a  century  before  was  every  spring  planted  with  corn  by 
Mauwehu,  better  known  as  Joe  Chuse,  the  old  Indian  chief  after  whom  the  town 
was  first  named.  For  many  years  before  the  building  of  the  mill,  Bennett 
Wooster's  blacksmith  shop  stood  where  the  flume  now  is.  When  the  wheelpit 
was  dug,  large  springs  were  struck  which  so  flooded  the  pit  that  it  was  with 
difficulty  that  the  water  could  be  lowered  sufficiently  to  permit  laying  the  foun- 
dations for  the  walls. 

In  i860  this  became  the  property  of  W.  W.  Goddard  of  Boston,  who,  knowing 
that  in  order  to  make  the  business  a  success  he  must  have  a  man  to  direct  it 
who  was  master  of  the  work  in  all  its  branches,  employed  for  this  responsible 
position  Mr.  Thomas  James,  who  had  learned  the  trade  in  Wales,  where  his 
ancestors  for  several  generations  had  been  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
copper. 

In  1864,  Mr.  Goddard,  who  had  other  large  interests  which  required  his  atten- 
tion, sold  the  business  here  to  Hendricks  &  Lissberger;  and  it  was  conducted 
by  them  until  March  13,  1872,  when  it  was  reorganized  with  the  following  stock- 
holders: Samuel  Holmes?  Thomas  James,  Franklin  Farrell  and  Lazarus  Liss- 
berger.  Mr.  Lissberger  was  elected  president ;  Samuel  Holmes,  secretary  and 
treasurer,  and  Thomas  James  superintendent  and  manager.  From  the  com- 
mencement of  Mr.  James'  management  until  his  death  it  was  a  success  in  every 
way,  giving  employment  to  a  large  number  of  men  who  held  him  in  high  respect 
and  esteem. 

The  process  adopted  by  the  company  for  the  finishing  of  their  polished  copper 
was  the  invention  of  Thomas  James,  patented  September  12,  1876.  By  means 
of  it,  the  gloss  on  the  polished  copper  remains  permanent,  whereas,  by  the  old 


372      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

method  of  polishing,  it  was  liable  to  become  tarnished  in  a  short  time.  It  has 
proved  highly  satisfactory  and  has  gained  for  this  product  of  the  company  an 
enviable   reputation. 

The  buildings  of  the- company  are  extensive.  The  dimensions  of  the  principal 
ones  are  as  follows:  .Main  rolling  mill,  ioo  by  20  feet,  containing  ten  sets  of 
rollers.  The  power  used  in  this  building  is  supplied  by  a  steam  engine  and 
boilers  of  250  horse  power  and  four  turbine  water  wheels  aggregating  250  horse 
power,  making  altogether  500  horse  power  for  the  rolling  mill.  The 
stamping"  shop  covers  an  area  of  50  by  70  feet ;  the  polished  copper  depart- 
ment, 50  by  90  feet. 

The  capital  stock  is  $200,000.  The  officers  in  1900  were  Thomas  L.  James, 
president;  Lewis  A.  Camp,  secretary;  Frederick  A.  Rugg,  treasurer;  George  A. 
James,  superintendent.  They  now  are  Thomas  L.  James,  president ;  Henry  J. 
Richards,  secretary  and  treasurer,  and  G.   Walter  James,   superintendent. 

W.  R.  Brixey,  of  the  Kerite  Insulated  Wire  and  Cable  Works  and  manu- 
facturer of  Kerite  insulated  wire  and  cables,  was  connected  with  the  works  for 
more  than  two  decades  and  in  1892  became  sole  owner.  The  works  were  first 
established  by  Austin  G.  Day,  who  in  1854  purchased  the  property  and  fitted 
up  machinery  for  the  manufacture  of  hard  rubber  goods  and  insulated  electric' 
wires.  Mr.  Day  was  the  inventor  of  many  improvements  in  the  manufacture  of 
rubber  and  in  making  submarine  telegraph  cable  took  the  lead  of  all  competitors. 

W.  R.  Brixey  largely  increased  the  plant  and  added  to  the  facilities  for  the 
speedy  execution  of  large  orders.  At  the  World's  Fair,  his  exhibit,  which  was 
located  near  the  head  of  the  main  stairway  of  the  Electrical  Building,  was  one 
of  the  finest,  and  after  the  most  thorough  tests  and  trials,  and  upon  thorough 
examination,  the  only  medals  and  awards  given  to  high  grade  insulated  wires 
and  cables  were  awarded  to  W.  R.  Brixev  for  excellence  of  material  and  con- 
struction,  high  insulation,  and  reliability  and  durability  demonstrated  by  pro- 
longed service  under  exacting  conditions. 

Mr.  Brixey  was  the  manufacturer  of  submarine,  aerial,  and  underground 
electric  cables  for  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company,  Postal  Telegraph 
Company,  New  YoTk  Telephone  Company,  and  other  large  corporations,  and 
for  the  United  States  Government,  furnishing  a  number  of  cables  for  the 
Philippines  and  for  Alaska. 

He  constructed  and  placed  in  position  for  the  New  York  Central  Railroad 
for  their  block  signal  system  the  longest  aerial  cable  ever  made  in  this  country, 
extending  from  Albany  to  Buffalo,  a  distance  of  three  hundred  miles.  He  also 
furnished  the  underground  cable  for  the  Havana  Street  Railway  Company, 
this  contract  alone  amounting  to  $200,000.  Ten  years  ago,  on  the  death  of 
W.  R.  Brixey,  his  sons  succeeded  to  the  business. 

In  1910  large  additions  were  made  to  the  plant,  and  in  1913  and  1914  the 
following:  65  by  150,  four  stories  in  height,  and  60  by  Jo,  one  story.  Its  capital 
today  is  $200,000  and  its  officers  are  :  President  and  treasurer,  Richard  P.  Brixey  ; 
secretary.  Austin  D.  Brixey. 

The  Seymour  Manufacturing  Company  was  organized  in  1878  and  incor- 
porated in  1880.  The  capital  is  now  $500,000.  The  officers  in  1902  were: 
President,  Charles  H.  Pine;  secretary  and  treasurer,  W.  H.  H.  Wooster;  super- 
intendent, L.  T.  Wooster;  assistant  .treasurer,  G.  E.  Matthies.  In  1917  they 
are:  President,  W.H.  H.  Wooster;  secretary  and  treasurer,  George  E.  Matthies; 
assistant  secretary,  O.  F.  G.  Baeker;  assistant  treasurer,  A.  L.  Clark. 

The  company  manufactures  sheet  brass,  wires,  rods  and  tubing  for  various 
uses,  and  copper  wire  for  telephone  and  telegraph  purposes,  electric  roads,  etc. 


UK    RIMMON    EYELET    COMPANY,    SEYMOUE 


SEYMOUR   MANUFACTURING    COMPANY,   SEYMOUE 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  373 

A  specialty  is  made  of  German  silver  for  table  ware  and  many  other  purposes. 
The  company  employs  about  1,400  men  and  does  a  large  business. 

In  1904,  1906,  1909,  191 1  and  1916  and  1917,  it  added  buildings  costing  over 
$500,000  to  its  plant.  It  has  been  employed  on  munition  contracts  for  the  past 
few  years. 

Paper  making  has  been  an  important  industry  for  nearly  a  century.  The 
first  to  establish  the  manufacture  of  paper  in  Seymour  was  General  Humphreys, 
who  built  the  first  paper  mill  in  1805.  The  journal  of  the  mill  from  October, 
1805,  to  June,  1825.  was  long  preserved.  Five  names  appeared  on  the  time 
account  for  October  in  that  year,  Thomas  Hudson,  Chester  Jones,  Elbridge  G. 
Ware.  John  Canfield  and  Philo  Smith.  This  list  was  soon  largely  increased, 
including  Maj.  A.  A.  Stone,  Wm.  Lewis,  Wm.  Ball,  James  Bowman,  and  many 
others.  Four  or  live  reams  of  paper  a  day  was  the  average  for  the  first  few 
years. 

At  this  time  the  paper  was  made  by  hand.  An  engine  for  preparing  the  pulp 
was  in  use,  but  from  this  it  was  dipped  out  into  fine  sieves  of  the  size  the  sheet 
of  paper  wras  to  be  made,  shaken  about  to  pack  the  fiber,  a  felt  or  flannel  laid 
on,  and  the  paper  tipped  out  on  it.  One  hundred  and  twenty-five  sheets  were 
so  piled  up,  making,  with  the  felts  a  pile  about  fifteen  inches  high.  This  was 
pressed  in  a  screw  press,  then  taken  out  of  the  felts  and  hung  on  poles  to  dry, 
then  pressed  in  one  and  a  quarter  ream  bunches.  The  next  day  the  sheets  were 
"stripped"  or  separated  and  pressed  in  the  dry  press.  Writing  paper  was  laid 
sheet  by  sheet  between  press  boards  with  occasional  iron  plates  and  pressed  again. 

In  1866  W.  W.  Smith  took  charge  of  the  mill  and  his  father  retired  from  the 
business,  and  in  May,  1870,  the  mill  was  sold  to  W.  W.  Smith. 

The  S.  Y.  Beach  Paper  Company's  works  is  a  continuation  of  this  one  estab- 
lished at  the  Falls  in  1805,  S.  Y.  Beach  having  been  identified  with  it  from 
1843  until  his  death  in  1899.  The  S.  Y.  Beach  Paper  Company  was  organized 
in  1880,  with  a  capital  of  $10,000,  the  stockholders  being  George  W.  Beach 
of  Waterbury,  and  Andrew  Y.  Beach,  Sharon  D.  Beach,  and  Theodore  B.  Beach 
of  Seymour,  all  sons  of  the  late  S.  Y.  Beach.  In  1902  G.  W.  Beach  was  presi- 
dent; T.  B.  Beach,  secretary,  and  S.  D.  Beach,  treasurer  and  manager.  Its 
present  officers  are:  President,  Andrew  Y.  Beach ;  treasurer  and  manager,  S.  M. 
Beach. 

It  now  manufactures  pin  paper  almost  exclusively. 

The  H.  P.  and  E.  Day  Company,  incorporated  in  1902  for  $200,000,  are  the 
manufacturers  of  the  Waterman  fountain  pen  and  employ  at  present  200  hands, 
working  shifts  three  nights  a  week.  The  rubber  business  had  been  carried  on 
in  the  present  location  for  seventy  years,  during  which  time  have  been  made 
most  of  the  inventions  by  the  aid  of  which  the  goods  and  processes  of  manu- 
facture now  in  use  have  been  perfected.  A  large  force  of  skilled  workmen 
is  employed  largely  in  producing  a  great  variety  of  hard  rubber  goods  but  par- 
ticularly the  Waterman  fountain  pen. 

The  present  officers  of  the  company  are :  President  Edmund  Day,  secretary, 
Walter  Randall;  treasurer,  Julius  G.  Day. 

The  Rimmon  Manufacturing  Company  was  organized  January  10,  1900, 
with  a  capital  of  $30,000  paid  in,  now  increased  to  $200,000.  The  plant  of  the 
company  covers  over  an  acre  of  ground  and  is  situated  on  Main  and  Day  streets. 
It  has  a  good  location,  being  but  a  short  distance  from  the  depot,  and  has  a 
good  water  power.  The  main  building  is  48  by  72  with  an  addition  22  by  44.  The 
muffle  building  is  36  by  36  feet  and  the  Japan  building  20  by  32  feet.  This  com- 
pany manufactures  brass  and  other  metal  goods,  eyelets  for  shoes,  corsets  and 


374  VVATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

many  other  purposes,  in  large  quantities,  for  domestic  and  foreign  trade.  Some 
of  the  eyelets  and  grommets,  a  large  eyelet,  are  exported  to  Australia.  It  is 
now  erecting  a  large  new  factory,  80  by  100.  Its  present  officers  are :  President, 
S.  A.  Chase,  New  Hampshire;  secretary  and  treasurer,  Charles  W.  Michaels; 
superintendent,  E.   O.  Lawrence. 

The  Seymour  Iron  Foundry  was  established  by  Edward  A.  Klatte  in  1898. 
The  main  building  is  50  by  100  feet,  with  an  ell  20  by  45,  and  an  office  building  20 
by  30  feet,  two  stories,  and  several  smaller  buildings  for  storage  and  other  pur- 
poses incidental  to  the  business.  All  the  water  used  in  the  foundry,  for  steam,  etc., 
is  supplied  by  a  large  spring  on  the  premises.  About  thirty  men  are  employed. 
Mr.  Klatte  superintends  the  work,  participating  in  the  finer  mechanical  part  of 
the  molding  and  casting,  and  to  his  ability  and  versatility  the  success  of  the 
foundry  is  due.  He  is  a  native  of  Maine,  but  since  May  1,  1898,  has  been  a 
resident  of  Seymour.  The  company  was  incorporated  for  $50,000  in  1913.  Its 
officers  in  1917  are:  President  and  treasurer,  E.  A.  Klatte;  secretary,  L.  E. 
Klatte. 

The  Arethusa  Spring  Water  Company  of  Seymour  was  organized  in  1892 
by  Carlos  French,  who  had  the  water  from  the  spring  thoroughly  tested  and 
ascertained  that  it  is  of  exceptional  purity.  The  water  contains  but  one  and 
three-fourths  grains  of  mineral  matter  to  the  gallon,  and  in  respect  to  chlorine 
it  is  shown  to  be  almost  of  perfect  purity.  Large  buildings  were  erected  for 
bottling,  storage,  etc.,  the  storage  building  alone  being  30  by  100  feet.  The  labora- 
tories are  provided  with  every  needed  facility  that  science  or  mechanical  ingenuity 
could  devise,  and  the  water,  both  plain  and  sparkling,  is  shipped  to  great  dis- 
tances. The  Arethusa  Ginger  Ale,  which  is  made  and  bottled  at  the  spring, 
rivals  the  famous  Belfast  product.  It  is  incorporated  for  $30,000.  Its  officers 
in  1917  are:  President,  Charles  R.  Warner;  secretary  and  treasurer,  M.  J. 
Warner. 

The  Seymour  Water  Company  was  organized  May  9,  1898,  and  work  was 
begun  as  soon  as  the  necessary  surveys  and  purchases  of  land  could  be  made, 
and  the  works  were  completed  in  the  spring  of  1899.  The  reservoir  is  about  a 
half  mile  northwest  of  Pinesbridge,  in  a  secluded  valley,  removed  from  resi- 
dences, and  in  an  ideal  location  for  absence  of  contamination.  The  reservoir 
is  fed  by  a  stream  which  winds  along  the  hillsides  of  a  rocky  section  of  country, 
with  cool  springs  which  assure  a  good  quality  of  water  for  household  use. 

There  is  a  fall  of  about  230  feet  to  the  level  of  the  central  part  of  Seymour, 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  railway  station,  giving  a  pressure  of  no  pounds  to  the 
inch  and  therefore  ample  force  for  most  effective  use  in  case  of  fires,  for  which 
nearly  fifty  hydrants  have  been  placed  where  most  likely  to  be  needed. 

The  capital  is  now  $150,000.  The  officers  of  the  company  are:  President, 
W.  H.  H.  Wooster;  secretary  and  treasurer,  Dennis  Blakeslee  of  New  Haven. 

The  Seymour  Metal  Goods  Company  was  organized  February  7,  1910,  with 
a  capital  of  $200000,  and  has  built  up  a  considerable  business  since  that  date. 
Its  officers  are  and  have  been :  President,  William  L.  Ward ;  secretary  and  treas- 
urer, A.  L.  Clark. 

In  [anuary,  1889,  the  Seymour  Electric  Light  Company  was  incorporated 
for  $30,000  with  all  its  leading  manufacturers  interested  in  giving  the  city  the 
benefit  of  the  latest  development  in  lighting.  Later  it  was  merged  with  the 
Connecticut  Lighting  &  Power  Company.  Its  president  now  is  C.  R.  Warner 
of  Waterbury ;  secretary,  E.  E.  Day  of  Newport ;  treasurer,  C.  L.  Campbell  of 
Waterbury. 


BROAD   STREET.   SEYMOUR 


.MAIN'   STREET,  LOOKING   SOUTH,  SEYMOUR 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  375 

TRANSPORTATION 

An  account  of  the  industries  of  Seymour  would  not  be  complete  without  men- 
tion of  the  facilities  for  transportation  upon  which  they  all  depend.  The  Nauga- 
tuck  Railroad,  built  a  little  more  than  sixty-rive  years  ago,  now  known  as  the 
Naugatuck  Division  of  the  New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad,  is 
one  of  the  most  important  and  best  paying  branches  of  that  system  and  affords 
every  possible  facility  to  local  enterprises.  This  railroad  has  contributed  largely 
to  building  up  the  industries  of  the  valley,  while  they  in  turn  have  repaid  by 
addition  to  the  profits  of  the  road,  both  in  freight  and  passenger  traffic. 

The  first  locomotive  over  the  road  reached  Seymour  May  10,  1849,  and  tne 
first  passenger  train  May  14th.  Sixteen  passenger  trains  now  arrive  and  depart 
daily,  and  bring  the  town  within  easy  reach  of  the  chief  cities  of  this  state  and 
of  the  metropolis. 

The  present  handsome  passenger  station  was  built  in  1898  and  is  a  worthy 
addition  to  the  many  fine  edifices  in  the  town. 

THE    SEYMOUR    RECORD 

The  Seymour  Record  was  established  by  W.  C.  Sharpe  in  1871,  previous 
to  which  time  there  was  no  paper  published  in  any  of  the  towns  between  Derby 
and  Waterbury.  It  was  at  first  a  small  eight  page  sheet,  changing  in  September, 
1886,  to  a  six  column  quarto. 

The  Record  has  been  conducted  as  a  local  family  newspaper,  giving  the 
greater  prominence  to  matters  of  interest  to  the  people  of  Seymour  and  adjoin- 
ing towns,  and  has  from  time  to  time  contained  engravings  of  public  buildings, 
factories  and  prominent  people  of  the  place  in  occasional  historical  sketches,  both 
by  the  editor  and  by  people  of  Seymour  and  neighboring  town,  who  have  con- 
tributed valuable  articles  on  the  early  history  of  their  several  communities,  so 
that  the  files  of  the  Record  are  a  mine  of  information  both  in  regard  to  current 
events  and  early  history. 

ITS    FIRE    DEPARTMENT 

On  the  1 8th  of  April,  1882,  E.  F.  Bassett's  large,  three  story  furniture  store 
on  Bank  Street  was  destroyed  by  fire,  together  with  two  smaller  stores  owned  by 
S.  Y.  Beach  and  a  house  owned  by  L.  A.  and  S.  P.  Camp.  The  impossibility 
of  extinguishing  the  fire  until  four  buildings  had  been  burned,  made  the  neces- 
sity of  efficient  fire  apparatus  quite  evident. 

The  fire  company  was  first  organized  in  1882  and  re-organized  August  12, 
1884,  and  the  name  changed  to  Citizen  Engine  Company  No.  2. 

At  the  annual  town  meeting  held  October  4,  1891,  it  was  voted  that  the  town 
purchase  the  lot  at  the  corner  of  Factory  and  Raymond  streets,  and  erect  a  suit- 
able engine  house,  substantially  fire  proof.  The  sum  of  $5,000  was  appropriated 
for  the  purchase  of  the  lot  and  $8,000  for  the  building. 

The  new  engine  house  is  a  handsome  brick  building  of  two  stories  with  a 
roomy  basement.  It  has  in  addition  to  other  adequate  equipment,  a  chemical 
engine  and  is  about  to  add  a  second  one. 

At  present  the  department  head  is  F.  E.  Chamberlain.  The  fire  commissioners 
are  George  A.  Divine,  J.  A.  Griffith,  W.  B.  Johnson. 

Seymour's  park  and  monument 

The  tract  of  nearly  fourteen  acres  on  the  west  of  Garden  City,  which  was 
presented  to  the  Town  of  Seymour  by  the  late  Carlos  French  for  a  public  park. 


376  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

is  an  ideal  place  for  the  purpose.  The  larger  part  of  the  tract  is  either  nearly 
level  or  gently  rolling,  and  the  easterly  side  has  been  known  for  some  years  as 
the  "Athletic  Grounds,"  the  use  of  it  having  been  given  by  Mr.  French  to  the 
young  people  for  ball  games  and  other  athletic  sports.  The  westerly  part  is 
covered  with  a  fine  grove,  which  has  been  a  popular  picnic  resort.  This  reaches 
to  the  brow  of  a  cliff  which  affords  a  fine  view  of  the  river  and  the  northerly  part 
of  the  town,  with  Castle  Rock  in  the  distance,  at  the  left,  making  one  of  the 
most  picturesque  landscapes  in  the  valley. 

From  the  north,  the  Naugatuck  River  spreads  out  into  a  placid  lake  of  about 
two  hundred  and  fifty  acres.  Beyond  is  the  bold  front  of  lofty  Rock  Rimmon, 
while  to  the  right  and  left,  and  far  in  the  distance,  are  seen  the  wooded  hills 
of  one  of  the  most  attractive  scenic  regions  of  the  Naugatuck  Valley. 

The  Soldiers'  Monument,  a  beautiful  piece  of  statuary,  was  largely  the  work 
of  Upson  Post  No.  40,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  of  the  women  of  Sey- 
mour, who  raised  most  of  the  money  needed  for  this  fine  commemorative  shaft. 

ITS   TOWN    OFFICERS 

The  town  officers  for  Seymour  for  1917  were:  Clerk  and  register,  Frederick 
M.  Parsons;  treasurer,  Wm.  L.  Ward;  selectmen,  George  A.  Divine,  John  A. 
Griffith,  Jr.,  Walter  B.  Johnson;  school  committee,  Edward  T.  Humphreys, 
chairman,  James  B.  Honey,  Sherman  Sanford,  Rev.  Wm.  A.  Woodford,  Joseph  A. 
O'Brien,  Thomas  A.  Perrins,  Wm.  B.  Swan,  Henry  Howard,  Henry  Danforth. 

societies 

Sarah  Ludlow  Chapter,  Daughers  of  the  American  Revolution,  is  one  of  the 
notable  organizations  of  the  town.  At  present  Mrs.  Hattie  M.  Buckingham  is 
regent ;  vice  regent,  Mrs.  A.  L.  Booth  ;  recording  secretary,  Mrs.  C.  T.  Adams  ;  cor- 
responding secretary,  Mrs.  W.  P.  Foster;  treasurer,  Mrs.  H.  M.  Barber;  register, 
Florence  James. 

The  Seymour  Chamber  of  Commerce  organized  in  1900  is  doing  splendid 
work  along  all  lines  of  civic  and  industrial  improvement.  Its  president  now  is 
William  B.  Swan;  its  secretary,  James  B.  Baylis;  directors,  C.  W.  Michaels, 
W.  C.  Sharpe,  F.  M.  Parsons,  H.  S.  Halligan,  J.  P.  Johnstone,  C.  R.  Sumpf, 
George  Smith.  T.  B.  Beach,  C.  H.  Camp. 


VIEW  OF  THOMASTON,  LOOKING  WEST 


SOLDIERS'  MONUMENT,  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH  AND  PARSONAGE, 

THOMASTON 


CHAPTER  XXXII 
THOMASTON,   THE  TOWN   OF  CLOCKMAKERS 

ITS  1  -ARIA     HISTORY THE   BEGINNING  OF  ITS  CLOCK  INDUSTRY THE  INVENTION   OF 

i:i.l   TERRY  AND  SETII  THOMAS THEIR  MARVELOUS  WORK THE  GROWTH  OF  THE 

INDUSTRY ITS     SCHOOLS,      CHURCHES,      SOCIETIES,      GOVERNMENT ITS      LATEST 

INDUSTRIES. 

Thomaston,  named  after  the  founder  of  its  clock  industry,  Seth  Thomas,  is 
a  town  of  nearly  four  thousand  population.  It  is  beautifully  located,  its  homes 
being  largely  on  the  western  bank  and  hillsides  of  the  Naugatuck  River.  It  lies 
in  the  southeastern  part  of  Litchfield  County,  and  is  connected  by  a  short  trolley 
ride  with  Waterbury.  The  New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad  gives 
it  direct  connection  with  Torrington  and  Winsted  on  the  north,  and  Waterbury, 
New  Haven  and  Bridgeport  on  the  south.  It  has  two  banks,  one  national  and 
one  savings,  two  excellent  schools  with  rural  schools  directly  affiliated  with  its 
high  school,  a  beautiful  library,  a  fine  town  hall  and  four  churches.  Like  all 
towns  in  the  Naugatuck  Valley,  it  is  an  industrial  community. 

The  Seth  Thomas  Clock  Company,  founded  in  181 3,  gives  employment  to 
1,200  people.  The  other  larger  industries  are  the  Plume  &  Atwood  Rolling  Mill, 
employing  300;  the  Thomaston  Knife  Company,  employing  75;  and  the  Thomas- 
ton  Mfg.  Co.,  with  20  employes. 

ITS   EARLY   HISTORY 

Until  1875,  Thomaston  was  part  of  the  Town  of  Plymouth  and  wyas  generally 
known  as  Plymouth  Hollow.  Plymouth  in  its  earliest  days  was  a  part  of  the 
Town  of  Waterbury.  Not  until  October,  1737,  were  the  people  of  Plymouth  per- 
mitted by  the  General  Assembly  to  separate  as  a  church  body  from  the  parent 
organization  at  Waterbury.  But  in  1740  came  a  contest  over  the  location  of  the 
First  Congregational  Church  between  those  who  wanted  it  built  on  the  hill  and 
those  who  wanted  it  in  what  is  now  the  site  of  Thomaston.  The  schoolhouse 
on  the  West  Side  was  used  temporarily  for  the  church  meetings. 

It  is  evident  that  the  occupation  of  the  West  Side  Schoolhouse  was  merely 
temporary  and  provisional,  the  society  chancing  to  be  organized  there,  as  there 
was  no  other  public  building  in  the  parish  limits ;  it  was  not  regarded  as  the 
meeting  house,  nor  did  they  intend  to  remain  in  it  permanently.  It  was  not 
the  society  of  Wooster  Swamp,  but  of  Northburv.  which  mainly  lay  east  of  the 
river,  where  it  proceeded  to  build  as  soon  as  it  was  in  fair  working  order. 

The  West  Side  settlers  naturally  objected  to  the  building  because  they  saw 
it  would  be  done  east  of  the  river,  and  they  tried  to  persuade  the  society  to  remain 
in  their  schoolhouse.  But  when  they  saw  that  the  society  was  determined  to 
build  and  on  the  East  Side,  a  majority  (not  of  the  society,  for  that  would  have 
controlled  it  and  defeated  the  project  of  building  on  the  East  Side)  of  the  pro- 
prietors of  the  West  Side  house  (eleven  of  the  nineteen)  voted  the  society  out 
of  doors  till  it  should  have  completed  its  own  house.     Then  this  majority  of  the 

377 


378  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

proprietors,  knowing  that  the  Legislature  would  not  organize  an  opposition  Con- 
gregational Church  west  of  the  river,  formed  an  Episcopal  society. 

St.  Peter's  Church  was  therefore  organized  in  1740,  in  Plymouth  Hol- 
low, now  Thomaston.  where  the  first  church  edifice  was  erected.  The 
rectors  previous  to  the  War  of  the  Revolution  were  Theophilus  Mor- 
ris. James  Lyon.  Richard  Mansfield,  James  Scoville,  and  James  Nichols.  The 
society  was  reorganized  after  the  Revolution  with  the  following  members: 
Solomon  Collins.  Abner  Blakeslee,  Titus  Barnes,  Asher  Blakeslee,  Eli  Blakes- 
lee,  Hosea  Bliss,  Moses  Blakeslee,  Samuel  Blakeslee,  Philo  Bradlee,  Amos  Bron- 
son,  Ebenezer  Bradley,  Noah  Blakeslee,  Jude  Blakeslee,  Ebenezer  Bradley,  Noah 
Blakeslee,  Ebenezer  Bradley,  Jr.,  John  Brown,  Thos.  Blakeslee,  Joab  Camp, 
Abishai  Castle,  Zadok  Curtis,  Amasa  Castle,  Ezra  Dodge,  Samuel  Fens,  Ebenezer 
Ford,  Jesse  Fenn,  Lemuel  Funcher,  Cephas  Ford,  Barnabas  Ford,  Isaac  Fenn, 
Enos  Ford,  Daniel  Ford,  Amos  Ford,  Cornelius  Graves,  Benj.  Graves,  Simon 
Graves,  Zacheus  Howe,  Eliphalet  Hartshorn,  Eliphalet  Hartshorn,  Jr.,  Jesse 
Humaston,  David  Luddington,  Zebulon  Mosher,  Chauncey  Moss,  Jacob  Potter, 
Samuel  Peck,  Jr.,  Samuel  Potter,  Gideon  Seymour,  David  Shelton,  Ezekiel  San- 
ford,  Jr.,  Abel  Sutliff,  Jr.,  Samuel  Scovile,  Jr.,  Jesse  Turner,  Wm.  Tuttle,  Thos. 
Williams,  Eli  Welton,  Thos.  Way,  Ogrius  Warner,  Thomas  Williams,  Jr.,  Samuel 
Way. 

After  its  reorganization,  the  church  in  1792  was  supplied  by  Ashbel  Baldwin, 
Philo  Shelton,   Pillotow   Branson,  and  Chauncey   Prindle. 

A  new  church  edifice  was  erected  in  1796  and  consecrated  November  2,  1797. 

The  section  occupied  by  the  Village  of  Thomaston  in  1825  consisted  of  about 
thirteen  dwellings,  located  as  follows :  On  East  Main  Street,  on  the  site  of  the 
Plume  &  Atwood  offices,  stood  a  dwelling  occupied  by  Lyman  Fenn,  and  on  the 
premises  later  occupied  by  John  H.  Wood  was  also  a  house,  but  its  occupant  is 
unknown.  There  was  a  house  standhig  on  North  Main  Street,  where  Dr.  B.  W. 
Pease  later  resided,  and  Julius  Blakesley  lived  in  a  dwelling  which  stood  near 
the  later  residence  of  Henry  B.  Warner.  The  premises  later  occupied  by  T.  J. 
Bradstreet  and  Mrs.  Blakesley  were  owned  by  Mica  Blakesley,  and  on  the  place 
later  occupied  by  Mrs.  George  Reynolds  was  a  tannery.  The  next  location  on 
the  north  side  of  the  street  belonged  to  Seth  Thomas,  and  was  occupied  by  him 
a  number  of  years.  It  is  now  covered  by  the  clock  factory.  The  next  place  below 
was  occupied  by  the  Blakesley  family  a  long  time.  One  of  the  oldest  buildings 
in  the  village  stood  on  Center  Street,  and  was  occupied  by  Levi  Castle. 

The  quiet  little  hamlet  of  less  than  a  score  of  buildings  has  grown  to  one 
of  the  loveliest  manufacturing  towns  in  Connecticut,  and  this  is  due  chiefly  to 
the  enterprise  of  one  family,  Seth  Thomas,  his  sons  and  grandsons.  Seth  Thomas, 
the  elder,  commenced  the  manufacture  of  clocks  in  1800,  in  company  with  Eli 
I  erry  and  Silas  Hoadley,  at  what  is  now  Hancock  Station,  on  the  New  York 
and  New  England  Railroad.  Here  he  remained  until  1813,  when  he  came  to 
Plymouth  Hollow,  now  Thomaston.  and  purchased  the  site  on  which  the  new  five- 
story  factory  is  now  located  and  commenced  the  manufacture  of  clocks.  He 
gradually  increased  the  business,  and  in  1853  the  Seth  Thomas  Clock  Company 
was  organized,  under  the  joint  stock  law  of  Connecticut.  The  remainder  of  the 
story  of  the  development  of  the  clock  industry  in  Thomaston  is  told  under  another 
heading  in  this  chapter. 

thomaston's  town  history 

Jn  July  6,   1X75,  the  Town  of  Thomaston  began  its  corporate  existence,  the 
Genera]  Assembly  having  officially  decreed  the  separation  from  Plymouth.'   Its 


OLD    ST.    THOMAS    (  IHRCH    AND    RECTORY.    THOMASTOX 


HIGH  STREET,  THOMASTON 


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VIEW  oK  MAIN   STREET,  THOMASTON 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK   VALLEY  379 

first  town  meeting  was  held  July  13,  1875.  lis  first  selectmen  were  Frederick  E. 
Warren,  Nelson  Bennett,  and  Morris  Humiston.  Its  first  act  was  to  appoint  the 
following  haywards  for  the  community:  Bennett  E.  Osborn,  Phineas  J.  Mix, 
Scoville  Atwood,  Alfred  B.  Smith.  William  B.  Atwood.  The  first  town  meetings 
were  held  in  what  was  known  as  American  Hall,  and  later  these  meetings  were 
held  in  Foster's  I  I  all. 

On  April  28,  [883,  it  was  decided  to  expend  850,000  on  a  new  town  hall  on 
the  site  of  the  old  cemetery.  The  committee  in  charge  of  construction  was  Aaron 
Thomas,  F.  E.  Warner,  A.  P.  Bradstreet,  C.  F.  Williams,  and  James  W.  White. 
Within  a  year  the  building  was  completed;  $8,000  was  expended  in  furnishings, 
and  it  is  today  occupied  by  the  town  officials  and  also  as  a  postoffice. 

The  Fire  Department  dates  its  origin  from  April  22,  1881,  when  the  Crescent 
Hose  Company  was  formed,  followed  on  December  13,  1881,  by  the  formation 
of  the  Thomaston  Hook  and  Ladder  Company. 

A  fine  new  building  was  completed  a  few  years  ago  which  is  fitted  out  on  its 
upper  floor  as  a  clubhouse,  and  on  the  lower  floor  are  up-to-date  fire-fighting 
appliances,  including  a  combination  chemical  engine  just  installed. 

The  Laura  Andrews  and  Thomaston  Library  Building  was  erected  in  1902, 
the  site  being  a  gift  of  the  Andrews  family  to  the  town.  It  contains  6,000  vol- 
umes.    Miss  Martha  C.  Potter  is  librarian. 

Thomaston  has  a  large  high  school,  to  which  is  attached  a  grammar  school. 
In  addition,  it  has  what  is  called  the  Brick  School,  which  is  a  full  graded  school. 
Two  outlying  district  schools  are  affiliated  with  the  High  School  and  are  under 
the  supervision  of  the  school  committee. 

Its  enrollment  of  pupils  is  at  present  about  eight  hundred.  The  school  com- 
mittee for  19 1 7  consists  of  Robert  Hazen,  Fred  L.  White,  John  Walsh,  James 
Goodall,  Newton  D.  Holbrook,  Richard  J.  Wallace,  Alfred  N.  Pratt,  Ralph  H. 
Barnes,  and  Ralph  S.  Goodwin. 

Its  present  town  officials  are:  Clerk  and  register,  Charles  A.  Curtiss  ;  treas- 
urer, Fred  I.  Roberts ;  selectmen,  E.  O.  Bradley,  George  Sangster.  R.  J.  Wallace ; 
assessors,  Wm.  B.  Foote,  George  C.  Gilbert,  George  C.  Hosford;  auditors,  Ray- 
mond H.  Felton,  Michael  F.  Conway. 

The  Thomaston  National  Bank,  founded  in  1885,  has  a  capital  of  $50,000 
and  surplus  of  $25,000.  Its  deposits  are  $147,968.09.  Its  president  is  James  A. 
Doughty:  cashier,  F.  I.  Roberts. 

The'  Thomaston  Sayings  Bank,  founded  in  1884,  has  about  two  thousand 
depositors,  with  total  deposits  in  1916  amounting  to  $1,298,386.29.  Its  surplus 
is  $89,000.  The  president  is  Edward  C.  Stoughton ;  treasurer,  Henry  E.  Stough- 
ton. 

THE    FIRST    CONGREGATIONAL    CHURCH 

The  First  Congregational  Church  was  organized  December  7.  1837.  with  the 
following  members :  losiah  Warner,  Thomas  Sutliff,  Abel  C.  Judson,  Abel  Jud- 
son,  Hiram  Pierce,  William  F.  Judson,  Samuel  Beach.  Silas  Hotchkiss,  Edward 
Xettlcton.  Tames  Cargill.  Seth  Thomas,  Joseph  F.  Mansfield,  P.  D.  Potter, 
Lafayette  Comstock.  Munson  Adkins,  Nathan  Cook,  Fanny  Warner,  Nancy  Sut- 
liff, Haldah  Sutliff,  Ruby  Judson,  Sabrina  Hart,  Sally  C.  Northrop.  Mehitabel 
Booth.  Ruth  Bush,  Harriet  Xettleton.  Martha  Marsh,  Chloe  Boardman,  Eunice 
Cargill,  Mary  M.  Judson,  Hannah  M.  Comstock.  Clarissa  E.  Cook,  Laura 
Thomas,  Martha  Thomas.  Amanda  Thomas.  Mary  E.  Blakesley,  Esther  Potter, 
Amanda  Adkin.     The  pastors  have  been  as  follows:    Haryey  D.  Kitchell.  Joseph 


380      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

D.  Hall,  James  Averill,  J.  B.  Pearson,  R.  P.  Searle,  J.  W.  Backus,  H.  C.  Hitch- 
cock.   The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  Geo.  D.  Owen. 

THE    METHODIST    EPISCOPAL    CHURCH 

For  many  years  previous  to  the  erection  of  a  house  of  worship  by  the  Meth- 
odists, Thomaston  was  supplied  with  circuit  preaching-  by  the  New  York  Confer- 
ence. During  these  years  the  tide  of  opposition  was  strong  against  this  small 
band,  which  finally  eventuated  in  their  being  prohibited  the  use  of  the  school- 
house,  which  for  some  years  they  had  occupied. 

The  membership  at  the  time,  though  small  and  feeble,  now  felt  the  need  of  a 
house  of  worship.  The  subject  of  building  soon  became  agitated.  This,  in  the 
course  of  two  or  three  years,  resulted  in  the  erection  of  a  very  neat  and  com- 
modious church.  This  church  was  erected  in  the  year  1842,  principally  through 
the  influence  and  labors  of  Bennett  Hibbard,  a  leader  and  steward  in  charge. 
The  house  being  finished  in  the  early  part  of  the  winter,  was  dedicated  by  the 
Rev.  L.  D.  Ferguson. 

The  first  pastor  was  Charles  Bartlett.  The  first  officers  were  as  follows : 
liennett  Hibbard,  Nathan  A.  Daniels,  leaders;  Bennett  Hibbard,  Hiram  S.  Turn- 
ey,  stewards ;  Bennett  Hibbard,  Samuel  Coley,  Sherman  Lines,  trustees. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  members  in  the  year  1842:  Bennett  Hibbard, 
Laura  Hibbard,  William  McAliston,  Hiram  Turney,  Jenett  Turney,  Ruth  A. 
Dunning,  Emily  Smith,  Julia  E.  Thompson,  Jane  M.  Thompson,  Mary  Fuller, 
Fanny  Munger,  Lucius  Alcott,  Emily  Alcott,  Caleb  Austin,  Louisa  Austin, 
Abijah  A.  Dunning,  Maria  Fuller  and  Lucy  Yale. 

The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  E.  L.  Thorpe. 

TRINITY    EPISCOPAL    CHURCH 

Trinity  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  sprang  from  St.  Peter's,  Plymouth.  The 
Uev.  Benjamin  Eastwood  commenced  holding  evening  services  in  the  Academy 
Hall,  but  in  1866  Academy  Hall  was  sold  to  the  school  district.  It  was  then 
thought  best  to  purchase  the  old  meeting-house  of  the  Methodist  Society,  and  in 
March,  1867,  it  was  deeded  to  Randal  T.  Andrews,  Edwin  Welton  and  Robert 
Alcott,  to  be  held  by  them  in  trust  until  such  time  as  a  parish  might  be  organ- 
ized. In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  the  building  was  enlarged  by  adding  a  vesti- 
bule and  belfry,  containing  a  bell  given  in  memory  of  Mrs.  Hannah  Williams. 
The  parish  organization  was  effected  January  2,  1869.  The  names  of  the  first 
members  were :  Robert  Alcott,  Augustus  E.  Blakeslee,  Jerry  M.  Curtiss,  Herman 
D.  Saul,  David  S.  Plume,  Richard  Chapman,  George  G.  Alcott,  Harvey  Sperry, 
Alfred  J.  Winton,  Randal  T.  Andrews,  John  Chapman,  Hugh  Lawton,  Edward 
T.  Gates,  William  C.  Gates,  Thomas  Chapman,  George  W.  Canfield,  Martin  L. 
Judd,  Augustus  Merrill  and  Daniel  H.  Stevens. 

The  first  rector  was  Rev.  David  Bishop ;  first  clerk,  Robert  Alcott ;  first  treas- 
urer, R.  T.  Andrews ;  first  wardens,  Edward  T.  Gates,  George  G.  Alcott ;  first 
vestrymen,  David  S.  Plume,  Randal  T.  Andrews,  Robert  Alcott,  Augustus  E. 
Blakeslee,  Jerry  M.  Curtiss,  William  C.  Gates,  Hugh  Lawton,  Isaac  R.  Castle 
and  John  Chapman.  The  present  church  edifice  was  erected  on  the  site  of  the 
old  one  in  1871. 

The  present  rector  is  Rev.  B.  Hamilton  Phelps. 

The  church  was  enlarged,  at  an  expense  of  $3,000,  in  the  fall  of  1879,  and  a 
$1,500  organ  placed  therein  in  memory  of  George  W.  Bradley,  a  former  organist 
of  St.  Peter's,  Plymouth. 


RESIDENCE  OF  \Y.  T.  WOODRUFF.  THOMASTON 


VIEW  OF  HKMI   STREET,  THOMASTON     HENRY   E.  STOUGHTON'S  RESIDENCE 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  381 

ST.  THOMAS'    R.    C.    CHURCH 

The  first  marriage  of  Catholics  was  solemnized  by  Father  Fitton  on  a  visit 
to  Plymouth  Hollow,  in  [831.  The  first  mass  was  celebrated  in  the  residence  of 
Michael  Ryan,  in  1854.  by  Rev.  Michael  O'Neile,  of  Waterbury,  who  paid 
monthly  visits  to  the  little  Catholic  community.  When  Father  llendricken  suc- 
ceeded him.  he  continued  these  monthly  visits.  In  [863  the  worshiping  Catholics 
were  placed  under  the  jurisdiction  of  Bristol  and  so  remained  until  1871.  Rev. 
Eugene  Gaffney  was  the  first  resident  pastor,  who  came  to  the  church  in  1871 
and  started  the  building-  of  the  present  St.  Thomas  edifice  at  that  time.  It  was 
dedicated  October  15,  1876.  He  not  alone  completed  this  church  but  also  built 
those  at  Terryville  and  Watertown.  He  bought  the  cemetery  and  also  built  the 
rectory.  Father  Gaffney  died  August  30,  1884.  and  was  succeeded  by  Rev. 
Michael  McGivney,  who  died  in  1890.  Rev.  Michael  J.  Daly  succeeded  him.  The 
present  pastor  in  charge  of  St.  Thomas  parish  is  Rev.  J.  Tl.  Walsh. 

thomaston's  industrial  development 

The  industries  of  Thomaston  have  their  actual  beginnings,  as  before  stated, 
in  the  work  of  Seth  Thomas,  the  clockmaker,  and  of  his  first  partner  in  the  busi- 
ness, Eli  Terry.  The  life  story  of  both  men  forms  an  enlightening  chapter  on 
Thomaston's  great  industry. 

Mr.  Terry  learned  the  art  of  clock  and  watchmaking  and  the  art  of  engrav- 
ing on  metal  from  Daniel  Bitmap,  in  the  City  of  Hartford.  He  also  received 
instruction  from  Thomas  Harland,  a  noted  clock  and  watchmaker,  a  resident  of 
Norwich,  and  a  native  of  London.  When  he  settled  in  Plymouth,  he  engaged 
in  the  business  of  repairing  clocks  and  watches,  engraving  on  metal,  and  selling 
spectacles,  spectacles  being  the  only  goods  he  kept  for  sale.  In  his  early  years 
here  he  did  nothing  at  clockmaking  worthy  of  mention,  but  in  the  year  1807  he 
obtained  a  contract  from  a  clockmaker  in  the  neighboring  Town  of  Waterbury  for 
making  4,000  thirty-hour  wooden  clocks  with  seconds  pendulum,  the  dial  and 
hands  included,  at  $4  apiece.  At  this  date  the  manufacturers  of  clocks  in  this 
country  made  the  eight-day  English  brass  clocks  and  thirty-hour  wood  clocks, 
both  kinds  of  clocks  having  pendulums  beating  seconds  with  three  exceptions.  In 
that  part  of  Plymouth,  now  Thomaston,  there  was  a  manufacturer  of  brass 
clocks,  and  also  a  manufacturer  of  brass  clocks  at  Salem  Bridge,  now  Nauga- 
tuck.  These  clocks  were  the  English  brass  clocks  with  sixty  teeth  in  the  escape- 
ment wheel,  instead  of  thirty,  to  adapt  them  to  a  half  seconds  pendulum,  the 
cord  passing  upward  and  over  a  pulley  on  the  inside  of  the  top  of  the  case  and 
attached  to  the  weight,  the  weight  moving  the  whole  length  of  the  inside  of  the 
case.  These  were  the  substantial  differences.  The  plates  for  the  frames  of  these 
clocks  and  the  blanks  for  the  wheels  and  other  parts  were  cast  metal,  and  the 
pinions  were  of  cast  steel,  as  in  the  English  clocks.  The  length  of  cases  required 
for  half  seconds  clocks  bears  about  the  same  ratio  to  the  length  of  the  cases  for 
clocks  with  seconds  pendulums  that  squares  of  the  lengths  of  the  pendulums  bear 
to  each  other.  These  clocks  were  popularly  called  "shelf  clocks."  and  were  thus 
distinguished  from  clocks  with  seconds  pendulums,  the  case  of  which  stood  on 
the  floor.  At  Roxbury,  near  Boston,  a  timepiece  was  made  called  Willard's 
timepiece.  This  timepiece  consisted  of  the  time  train  of  the  English 
brass  clock,  with  'the  omission  of  one  leaf  in  the  pinion  on  the  escapement 
wheel  arbor,  the  escapement  wheel  having  an  additional  number  of  teeth,  and 
was  thus  adapted  to  a  pendulum  shorter  than  the  seconds  and  longer  than  the 


382  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

half  seconds  pendulum.  This  brass  timepiece  and  the  half  seconds  brass  clock 
before  mentioned  were  excellent  timepieces.  Such  was  the  state  of  the  clock- 
maker's  art,  so  far  as  relates  to  clocks  for  general  use  in  the  year  1807.  To  com- 
plete the  contract  mentioned,  Mr.  Terry  was  allowed  three  years.  During  this 
time  he  conceived  the  idea  of  making  a  thirty-hour  wood  clock  with  half  seconds 
pendulum  for  general  use,  which  would  be  much  less  expensive  than  the  half 
seconds  clock  of  cast  brass.  His  first  effort  in  this  direction  was  unsatisfactory, 
the  clock  was  substantially  the  movement  of  the  thirty-hour  wood  clock  with  a 
seconds  pendulum,  the  escapement  wheel  having  sixty  teeth  instead  of  thirty  to 
adapt  it  to  a  short  half  seconds  pendulum.  The  cord  passed  upward  and  over  a 
pulley  on  the  inside  of  the  top  of  the  case  and  down  around  a  pulley  attached  to 
the  weight  and  back  to  the  top  of  the  case,  where  it  was  fastened.  The  front  plate 
of  the  frame  was  an  open  plate,  and  the  clock  had  no  dial,  but  the  figures  to  indicate 
the  time  were  painted  on  the  glass  in  the  sash  of  the  case.  This  clock  did  not 
suit  Air.  Terry's  aspirations,  though  he  made  and  sold  several  hundred  of  them, 
and  other  manufacturers  made  and  sold  more  than  he  did. 

In  the  year  1814,  he  perfected  a  thirty-hour  wood  clock  of  a  construction 
entirely  new,  both  the  time  and  striking  trains  having  a  greater  number  of 
wheels,  and  the  clock  being  so  radically  different  that  it  was  really  a  new  manu- 
facture. Aside  from  the  ingenuity  as  shown  in  the  general  construction  of  this 
clock,  there  were  two  notable  inventions :  the  one  consisted  in  arranging  the  dial 
works  between  the  plates  of  the  frame,  instead  of  between  the  front  plate  and 
the  dial,  and  the  other  consisted  in  mounting  the  verge  on  a  steel  pin  inserted  in 
one  end  of  a  short  arm,  a  screw  passing  through  the  other  end  and  into  the  front 
of  the  plate.  In  wood  blocks  the  pin  was  inserted  in  a  button  midway  between 
the  center  and  the  periphery.  By  turning  the  button  or  arm,  the  verge  was 
adjusted  to  the  escapement  wheel.  In  the  manufacture  of  this  newly  constructed 
thirty-hour  wood  clock  the  numerous  manufacturers  of  clocks  at  once  engaged, 
and  it  became  a  very  extensive  industry,  Mr.  Terry  making  a  very  small  fraction 
of  the  number  made  and  sold.  It  superseded  the  half  second  clock  made  of  cast 
brass,  and  that  industry  perished.  This  clock  supplied  the  American  market  and 
export  demand  for  clocks  for  a  quarter  of  a  century. 

In  the  progress  of  the  arts  in  this  country,  sheet  metal  began  to  be  manufac- 
tured, and  rolled  brass  became  an  article  of  commerce.  With  a  supply  of  this 
article  in  the  market,  sheet  metal  clocks  began  to  be  made.  These  sheet  metal 
clocks,  with  wire  pinions,  were  much  less  expensive  than  wrood  clocks,  and  super- 
seded the  manufacture  of  wood  clocks  as  the  manufacture  of  wood  clocks  had 
superseded  the  manufacture  of  clocks  of  cast  brass.  The  two  inventions  before 
mentioned  were  adapted  to  brass  clocks,  as  well  as  to  wood  clocks,  and  to  sheet 
metal  clocks,  as  well  as  to  clocks  made  of  cast  metal,  and  one  or  both  are  found 
in  nearly  every  clock  made  in  this. country,  and  also  in  clocks  made  in  other  coun- 
tries. It  is  worthy  of  mention  at  this  point  that  all  of  the  several  kinds  of  clocks 
before  mentioned  were  made  to  gauges,  or  so  that  the  parts  were  interchangeable. 
The  making  of  parts  of  a  machine  so  that  one  part  may  be  changed  for  a  like 
part  in  another  machine  was  an  American  idea.  To  whom  the  credit  of  the 
invention  belongs,  the  writer  regrets  he  is  unable  to  state,  but  it  was  practiced  in 
the  clockmaker's  art  as  early  as  the  year  1807.  But  Mr.  Terry  did  not  confine 
himself  to  making  low-priced  clocks  for  general  use.  He  made  brass  clocks  of 
fine  quality,  and  sold  them  to  watchmakers  for  regulators,  the  price  ranging  from 
one  to  two  hundred  dollars,  and  he  also  manufactured  tower  clocks.  His  tower 
clocks  were  novel,  and  consisted  of  three  parts,  a  movement,  a  part  to  move  the 
hands,  and  the  striking  mechanism.     By  this  construction  the  movement  was  not 


SKTH   THOMAS   WATCH   AND  MACHINE   SHOP,  THOMASTON 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  383 

affected  by  the  action  of  the  wind  and  weather  on  the  hands;  the  movement  could 
also  be  placed  in  any  part  of  the  building  desired,  with  a  dial  and  handle  attached 
and  connected  to  the  parts  in  the  tower  by  a  wire. 

The  tower  clock  which  he  made  for  the  City  of  Xew  Haven  deserves  special 
notice.  The  city  at  this  time  (  [826)  had  no  building  suitable  for  a  tower  clock 
and  the  clock  was  placed  in  Center  Church,  on  the  "Green."  This  clock  had  the 
usual  dial  work,  the  hands  connected  with  it  showing  mean  time  on  a  dial,  and 
an  extra  train  or  dial  works  whereby  the  hands  connected  with  it  showed 
apparent  time  on  an  extra  dial.  This  duplex  clock,  showing  both  mean  and 
apparent  time,  was  not  liked  by  the  citizens,  who  were  accustomed  to  apparent 
time,  which  was  everywhere  kept  except  in  two  or  three  of  the  principal  cities, 
sun  dials  having  been  common  and  every  house  having  its  own  mark.  The  extra 
dial  work,  dial  and  hands  for  showing  apparent  time  were  removed,  and  the  man 
in  charge  was  instructed  by  Mr.  Terry  to  set  the  clock  to  mean  time,  for  he  was 
determined  that  the  clock  should  show  mean  time,  and  he  still  owned  it  and  could 
do  as  he  pleased,  the  city  not  having  accepted  it.  In  a  tower  on  one  of  the  build- 
ings of  Yale  College,  there  was  a  public  clock  "with  an  apparatus  attached  to  it, 
which  produced  a  daily  variation  from  true  time  equal  to  the  variation  of  the 
sun,"  causing  the  clock  to  show  apparent  time.  These  two  public  clocks,  not  a 
block  apart,  one  showing  apparent  time  and  the  other  mean  time,  occasioned  a 
spirited  controversy  in  the  public  press  as  to  what  was  true  time,  or  the  proper 
time  to  be  kept,  in  which  there  was  a  mixture  of  ridicule  and  learning.  Those 
curious  to  read  the  controversy  are  referred  to  the  files  of  the  city  papers  of  that 
day,  to  be  found  in  the  library  of  Yale.  The  communication  signed  "A  Citizen 
of  the  United  States"  was  written  by  Mr.  Terry,  and  shows  that  he  was  a  master 
of  the  whole  subject.  At  this  day  it  seems  strange  that  there  should  have  been 
such  a  controversy,  that  learned  men  and  others  should  have  advocated  the  keep- 
ing of  apparent  time,  and  that,  in  the  year  181 1,  on  a  signal  from  the  observatory 
of  the  college,  a  heavy  gun  on  the  Public  Square  was  fired  at  noon  to  give  the 
people  the  exact  time  to  make  their  noon  marks.  Many  residents  of  the  city  and 
graduates  of  the  college  in  all  parts  of  the  country  will  remember  these  two  old 
public  clocks  which  for  many  years  chimed  out  their  discordant  notes. 

Some  confusion  has  arisen  from  the  failure  of  writers  on  the  art  to  distinguish 
between  clocks  of  cast  brass  and  sheet  metal  clocks.  The  making  of  clocks  of 
cast  brass,  the  making  of  sheet  metal  clocks,  and  the  making  of  wood  clocks,  so 
far  as  the  mechanical  part  is  concerned,  are  three  distinct  arts, — are  three  distinct 
industries.  Eli  Terry  died  in  Plymouth,  in  the  post  village  of  Terryville,  called 
after  his  oldest  son,  Eli  Terry,  Jr.,  February  24,  1852,  falling  short  of  the  age  of 
three  score  and  ten  one  month  and  eighteen  days. 

Seth  Thomas  was  the  son  of  James  and  Martha  Thomas,  and  was  born  in 
Wolcott.  Conn.,  August  19,  1785.  His  early  education  was  very  meager,  con- 
sisting of  a  very  short  attendance  upon  a  distant  public  school.  He  served  an 
apprenticeship  to  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  joiner,  and  spent  some  time  on  the 
construction  of  Long  Wharf,  in  Xew  Haven.  Leaving  at  his  majority  with  a 
small  kit  of  tools  and  a  very  small  sum  of  money,  he  associated  with  Eli  Terry 
and  Silas  Hoadley  under  the  firm  name  of  Terry.  Thomas  &  Hoadley,  in  the 
southeastern  part  of  the  Town  of  Plymouth,  now  known  as  Hancock  Station,  on 
the  Xew  England  Railroad,  and  commenced  the  manufacture  of  clocks. 

In  1810  Mr.  Terry  sold  his  interest,  and  the  linn  continued  two  years  as 
Thomas  &  Hoadley.  Mr.  Thomas  then  sold  his  interest  to  Mr.  Hoadley  and  came 
to  the  western  part  of  the  town,  then  known  as  Plymouth  I  [ollow,  and  purchased 
the  site  where  the  large  new  factory  is  now  located,  and  began  the  manufacture 
of  clocks  on  his  own  account. 


384      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

He  was  twice  married,  first  to  Philena  Tuttle,  April  20,  1808.  She  died 
March  12,  1810.  He  was  married  to  Laura  Andrews,  daughter  of  William  and 
Submit  Andrews,  April  14,  181 1,  who  survived  him.  She  died  July  12,  1871. 
He  was  the  father  of  nine  children,  three  of  whom,  and  all  then  living,  died  in 
September,  1815,  in  the  year  memorable  as  the  one  of  the  dysentery  scourge. 

The  clock  business,  from  small  beginnings,  increased  rapidly,  and  he  after- 
ward built  a  cotton  mill  and  a  brass  rolling  and  wire  mill.  Politically  he  was  a 
whig.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church  and  contributed  largely 
to  the  building  of  the  church  in  Plymouth  Hollow. 

In  1853,  feeling  the  infirmities  of  years  coming  upon  him,  in  order  to  avoid 
the  stoppage  of  his  works  consequent  upon  his  death,  he  organized  the  Seth 
Thomas  Clock  Company  under  the  joint  stock  laws  of  Connecticut.  He  died 
January  29,  1859. 

Six  of  his  children  who  survived  him  were :  Seth,  Jr. ;  Martha,  who  married 
Dr.  William  Woodruff;  Amanda,  who  married  Thomas  J.  Bradstreet ;  Edward; 
Elizabeth,  who  married  George  W.  Gilbert;  and  Aaron. 

Today  the  Seth  Thomas  Clock  Company  occupies  three  immense  buildings, 
and  the  only  regret  of  the  officials  is  that  the  structures  are  widely  separated. 
This  is  due  to  two  other  ventures  of  the  great-grandfather  of  the  present  execu- 
tive head  of  the  Seth  Thomas  Clock  Company,  Seth  E.  Thomas,  Jr.  First  of 
all,  just  before  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  he  started  a  cotton  mill  on  Elm 
and  East  Main  streets.  This  was  given  up  and  was  made  the  movement  shop  of 
the  clock  works.  Later  he  was  instrumental  in  founding  the  rolling  mill  which, 
with  its  water  right  on  the  east  side  of  the  Naugatuck,  is  now  one  of  the  plants 
of  the  Plume  &  Atwood  Company.  The  latter  company  has  just  completed  a 
large  addition  and  is  at  present  building  a  "recovering"  plant  close  to  the  river. 

In  1905  the  changes  in  the  manufacture  of  clocks  necessitated  a  larger  set- 
ting-up room,  and  this,  which  is  known  as  the  "varnish"  building,  was  put  up  on 
the  old  site.  The  new  structure  is  no  by  80.  The  only  building  that  has  been 
torn  down  was  the  old  storehouse.  The  first  building  erected,  and  in  which  the 
business  was  started,  still  stands  at  the  south  corner  of  the  plant  and  is  in  con- 
stant use.  The  new  five-story  building  on  the  site  of  the  old  storehouse  was 
completed  and  occupied  in  191 5.  It  is  240  by  60  and  is  used  for  assembling, 
storage,  and  general  offices.  The  marine  department  was  built  by  the  sons  of 
the  original  Seth  Thomas.  This  is  where  the  movements  are  made.  It  is  four 
stories  in  height,  size  240  by  30,  with  a  wing  added  later. 

While  many  of  the  old  employees  have  been  with  the  company  for  over  forty 
years,  no  one  is  now  living  who  personally  knew  the  original  Seth  Thomas.  The 
officers  of  the  company  at  the  present  time  are :  President,  Seth  E.  Thomas,  Jr. ; 
vice  president  and  general  manager,  Mason  T.  Adams ;  treasurer  and  secretary, 
G.  S.  Havelin. 

The  Thomaston  Knife  Company  was  organized  in  1887  by  Joseph  M.  War- 
ner, and  located  in  what  had  been  first  a  woolen  mill,  and  later  a  clock  factory. 
He  remained  at  its  head  until  1912,  when  E.  H.  Frost,  of  Bethlehem,  Conn., 
bought  the  controlling  interest.    The  company  employs  seventy-five  people. 

The  Thomaston  Mfg.  Co.,  on  North  Main  Street,  which  makes  automatic 
screw  machine  accessories,  is  a  comparatively  recent  addition  to  Thomaston's 
industries.  Tt  was  incorporated  in  191 3  with  a  capital  of  $15,000.  John  Gross 
is  president;  E.  B.  Gross,  secretary.     It  employs  twenty  men. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 
TORRINGTON'S  RAPID  GROWTH 

SUMMARY  OF  ITS  INDUSTRIAL  DEVELOPMENT — ITS  EARLY    HISTORY — TORRINGFORD — 
EARLY     EXPANSION — SCHOOLS — CHURCHES — BANKS — CHAMBER     OF     COMMERCE 

— LIBRARY — Y.      M.      C.      A. —  HOSPITAL — NEWSPAPERS ELKS'      CLUB      HOUSE 

PARKS CEMETERIES — BOROUGH   HISTORY. 

Torrington  is  unique  in  Litchfield  County  in  its  phenomenal  civic  and  indus- 
trial growth.  From  1800  to  1890  its  percentage  of  increase  in  population  was 
82#H.  From  1890  to  1900  the  increase  was  100  per  cent;  from  iyoo  to  1910,  its 
population  increased  from  about  9,000  to  15,490. 

The  population  on  July  1,  191 7,  as  estimated  by  the  United  States  Census 
Bureau,  is  20,040.  But  this  is  an  exceedingly  conservative  figure  when  it  is 
remembered  that  in  five  years  the  pay  rolls  ot  its  thirteen  leading  manufacturing 
plants  have  increased  from  5,000  to  9,000.  The  American  Brass  Co.,  Coe  branch, 
employs  in  Torrington  2,0co  people  as  compared  with  1,800  five  years  ago.  The 
Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Torrington  feels,  therefore,  justified  in  claiming  a 
population  at  this  time  of  23.500,  which  would  give  Torrington  the  largest  pro- 
portionate increase  of  any  town  in  Connecticut,  a  record  which  it  has  held  for 
three  decades. 

Including  the  water  and  light  companies,  but  not  including  its  banks,  and 
allowing  for  proportionate  capital  of  the  Torrington  branch  of  the  American 
Brass  Co.,  there  are  in  Torrington  today  fourteen  industrial  corporations  with  a 
working  capitalization  of  over  nine  million  dollars. 

The  assessed  valuation  of  the  borough  in  1892  was  $3,269,991.     In  19 15  this 
^had  increased  to  $14,739,991,  and  in  1917  to  $15,814,214. 

From  the  borough  records  of  March.  1916,  the  following  facts  are  taken, 
although  in  1916  and  in  1917  each  item  has  been  further  appreciably  increased. 
Torrington  had  on  March  1,  1915,  31.09  miles  of  public  streets,  8.56  miles  of 
private  streets,  5.80  miles  of  streets  with  bituminous  surface,  28.40  miles  of  side- 
walk, 3.63  miles  of  storm  sewer,  392  street  lights,  practically  all  of  60  candle  power, 
153  hydrants,  29  public  fire  alarm  boxes  and  13  private  fire  alarm  boxes.  It  has 
perhaps  the  largest  mileage  of  concrete  walks  in  the  state. 

Torrington  has  in  the  past  five  years  expended  or  contracted  for  the  expendi- 
ture of  between  $Coo,cco  and  $700,000  for  new  schools. 

The  school  enrollment  for  1913-14  was  2.979;  tor  i9i4~i5j  3,°~8'-  f°r  1915-16 
it  was  3.473.  For  the  fall  of  19 17  it  will  reach  4,000.  So  great  has  been  the 
pressure  for  school  room  that  during  the  past  two  years  in  the  Center  School 
there  were  eight  classes  with  half  a  day  schooling.  The  congestion  in  other 
sections  was  nearly  as  great.  New  schoolhouses,  completed  and  building,  will 
relieve  this  pressure. 

There  are  twelve  churches  with  property  valuation  of  nearly  a  million.  It 
has  one  national  bank  with  deposits  of  $3,000,000.  two  trust  companies  and  one 
savings  bank.  It  has  7,100  savings  depositors,  who  have  on  deposit  nearly  three 
million  dollars. 

Vol.  1— J  5  „„ 

385 


386      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

The  following  list  of  larger  industries,  of  which  the  histories  are  given  in 
detail  in  these  pages,  tells  how  they  are  officered  in  1917,  with  capitalization  and 
date  of  organization.     It  gives  some  conception  of  the  growth  of  Torrington. 

The  American  iirass  Co.,  Coe  branch,  incorporated  in  1863,  has  the  follow- 
ing officers  in  1917 :  C.  F.  Brooker,  president;  E.  J.  Steele,  vice  president  (until 
July  1,  1917),  succeeded  by  Frederick  L.  Drama  n ;  James  D.  Thursfield,  manager; 
Frederick  L.  Draman,  assistant  manager,  became  vice  president  on  July  1,  191 7. 

The   capital    of    the    Warrenton    Woolen    Company,    organized    in    1844,    is 
/$250,ooo,  and  its  officers  in   1917  are:    President,  John  Workman;   secretary, 
Frank  E.  Coe ;  treasurer  and  general  manager,  S.  C.  Workman ;  assistant  man- 
ager, F.  R.  Appelt. 

The  Domestic  Vacuum  Cleaner  Co.  was  incorporated  in  191 2.  Its  capital  is 
$326,000.  The  officers  in  1917  are:  President,  F.  P.  Weston;  treasurer,  Gail  Z. 
Porter.  The  National  Sweeper  Co.,  incorporated  in  1900,  has  a  capital  of  $100,- 
000,  and  is  under  the  same  management. 

The  capital  of  the  Excelsior  Needle  Company,  organized  in  1870,  is  $1,000,000. 
Tts  officers  are :  President,  Frederick  P.  Weston  ;  secretary  and  treasurer,  C.  B. 
Vincent.  The  Standard  Company,  organized  in  1900,  has  a  capital  of  $1,200,000, 
and  its  officers  in  1917  are:  President,  Frederick  P.  Weston;  secretary,  George  E. 
Hammann ;  treasurer,  Charles  E.  Morehouse.  These  two  companies  and  the 
Progressive  Manufacturing  Co.  are  controlled  by  the  Torrington  Co.,  which  may 
be  described  as  an  international  corporation  for  the  manufacture  of  needles. 

The  Torrington  Building  Company,  incorporated  in  1902,  has  a  capital  of 
$150,000.  Its  officers  in  1917  are:  President,  Harlow  A.  Pease;  secretary,  Wil- 
liam B.  Waterman ;  treasurer,  Howard  J.  Castle. 

The  Torrington  Electric  Light  Company,  incorporated  in  1887,  has  a  capital 
of  $625,000.  Its  officers  in  1917  arc:  President,  John  Workman;  secretary,  F.  F. 
Fuessenich ;  treasurer,  Frank  M.  Travis. 

The  Torrington  Manufacturing  Company,  incorporated  in  1885,  has  a  capital 
of  $250,000.  Its  officers  in  1917  are:  President,  J.  A.  Doughty;  secretary  and 
treasurer,  Robert  C.  Swayze. 

The  Torrington  Realty  Co.,  incorporated  in  1910.  has  a  capital  of  $150,000. 
Its  officers  in  1917  are:  President,  L.  Cleveland  Fuessenich;  secretary,  Henry 
H.  Fuessenich ;  treasurer,  Frederick  W.  Fuessenich. 

The  Torrington  Water  Co.,  incorporated  in  1878.  has  a  capital  of  $400,000. 
Its  officers  for  1917  are:  President,  J.  N.  Brooks;  secretary  and  treasurer,  C.  L. 
McNeil. 

The  Turner  &  Seymour  Mfg.  Co.,  organized  in  1848,  has  a  capital  of  $350,000. 
Tts  officers  in  1917  are:  President.  L.  G.  Kibbe;  secretary,  S.  C.  Workman; 
treasurer,  E.  E.  L.  Taylor. 

The  Union  Hardware  Company,  organized  18S4,  has  a  capital  of  $600,000. 
Its  officers  for  1917  are:  President,  Thomas  W.  Bryant ;  secretary,  Christian  G. 
Hoerle ;  treasurer,  Frank  J.  Damon. 

The  capital  of  the  Hendey  Machine  Co.,  organized  in  1870,  is  $900,000.  Its 
officers  in  1917  are:  F.  F.  Fuessenich,  president  and  treasurer;  Charles  H.  Al- 
vord,  vice  president  and  manager;  Frederick  M.  McKenzie,  secretary;  F.  W. 
Fuessenich,  assistant  treasurer. 

The  Hotchkiss  Brothers  Co..  organized  1901,  has  a  capital  of  $160,000.     Its< 
officers  in  1917  are:    President,  Henry  E.  Hotchkiss;  secretary,  Harry  J.  Wylie; 
treasurer,  Edward  II.  Hotchkiss. 

'regressive  Mfg.  Co.,  incorporated  1905,  has  a  capital  of  $100,000.  Its 
officers  in  1917  are:  President,  John  H.  Alvord ;  secretary  and  treasurer,  Geo. 
E.  Hammann. 


SCHOOL    BUILDING.    THOMASTOX 


MAIN  STREET  AND  OPERA  HOUSE,  THOMASTOfl 


CITY  HALL,  TORRINGTON 


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UNITED  STATES  POSTOFFICE,  TORRINGTON 


..  ' .  . 


THE   HENDEY   MACHINE    COMPANY,   TOERINGTON 


\\  ATERBURY  AXD  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  387 

To  this  list  it  is  essential  to  add  the  Fitzgerald  Mfg.  Co.,  incorporated  in  1912, 
which  in  its  two  plants  at  Torrington  and  Winsted  employs  400  hands,  and  has 
a  total  capitalization  of  over  $100,000. 

The  latest  building  improvements  give  some  conception  of  the  industrial  ex- 
pansion of  Torrington  during  the  past  two  years,  and  throw  light  on  the  prospect 
of  a  still  greater  growth  in  the  near  future. 

The  Coe  Brass  branch  of  the  American  Brass  Company  has  just  completed 
its  new  casting  plant,  and  its  new  rod  mill.  With  these  and  with  the  improve- 
ments planned  on  Water  Street,  the  capacity  will  be  nearly  doubled. 

The  Hendey  Machine  Co.  is  now  building  a  new  casting  shop.  A  big  addition 
was  completed  about  two  years  ago. 

The  Standard  Mfg.  Co.  this  spring  completed  its  three-story  addition,  occupy- 
ing a  space  of  approximately  300  by  100  feet. 

The  Union  Hardware  Company  is  planning  a  new  addition. 

The  Turner  &  Seymour  Manufacturing  Co.  is  building  an  addition  to  its 
casting  shop. 

The  Excelsior  Needle  Company  built  a  new  addition  in  191 5. 

The  Torrington  Mfg.  Co.  is  putting  up  an  office  building. 

Geographically  considered,  Torrington  lies  in  the  beautiful  Naugatuck  Valley, 
nineteen  miles  north  of  Waterbury  and  forty  miles  from  the  tide  waters  of  Long 
Island  Sound  at  New  Haven.  The  Naugatuck  Division  of  the  N.  Y.,  N.  H.  &  H. 
R.  R.  connects  it  with  both  cities,  and  also  with  Winsted  on  the  north,  and  an 
electric  railway  system  furnishes  additional  communication  with  Winsted.  The 
surroundings  are  picturesque,  good  drives  are  on  every  hand,  and  the  tops  and 
slopes  of  the  neighboring  hills  command  varied  and  expansive  views  on  every 
side. 

Red  Mountain  rises  sheer  and  bold  against  the  northern  sky  line  like  a  mighty 
buttress.  The  other  hills  slope  in  graceful  outlines  above  the  valleys  beneath, — 
the  restful  type  of  pastoral  scenery.  The  Shawngum  (softened  from  Shawan- 
gunk)  hills  are  extremely  picturesque,  in  places  palisadic  in  formation. 

EARLY    HISTORY   OF   TORRINGTON 

The  parent  colony  from  which  Torrington  has  its  origin  was  Windsor.  In 
May,  1732,  when  the  General  Assembly  partitioned  what  is  now  the  Borough 
of  Torrington,  it  contained  20,924  acres.  The  only  addition  that  has  been  made 
since  that  time  has  been  the  annexation  of  a  small  part  of  Litchfield.  Historians 
assert  that  the  name  was  brought  over  from  Devonshire,  England,  where  a  ham- 
let called  Torrington  has  existed  for  many  centuries.  Unquestionably  some  of 
the  English  from  that  village  had  come  to  Windsor  in  the  early  days  of  that 
town.  The  meaning  of  Torrington  is  "a  hill-encircled  town,"  which  well  suited 
the  new  community. 

In  October,  1734,  the  early  settlers  constructed  a  fort,  fearing  a  raid  from  the 
Mohawk  Indians.  In  1740  the  first  town  meeting  was  held  on  December  9th. 
At  this  gathering  Ebenezer  Lyman,  who  had  been  the  first  to  settle  in  the  new 
town,  was  chosen  moderator,  and  on  the  15th  of  December,  1740,  the  first  regular 
town  officers  were  elected.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  first  dwelling  house  in  the 
town  was  built  by  Joseph  Ellsworth  in  1734,  although  he  did  not  become  a  per- 
manent resident  of  the  town.  The  second  house  was  built  by  Ebenezer  Lyman 
in  1735.  and  in  this  place  he  resided  for  a  long  period.  In  June,  1738,  a  daughter 
was  born  to  the  Lymans,  the  first  birth  in  the  Town  of  Torrington. 

In  1 74 1  the  little  community  organized  its  church.     In  1751  it  erected  its  first 


388      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

meeting  house,  following  it  in  1755  with  its  first  schoolhouse.  All  these  structures 
were  built  about  the  fort  and  were  of  log  construction.  These  first  log  houses 
were  not  built  in  what  later  came  to  be  known  as  "Mast  Swamp,"  the  valley 
section  along  the  Naugatuck,  but  upon  the  western  hills ;  the  later  dwellings  were 
put  up  on  what  were  known  as  the  "Torringford  hills"  and  afterwards  some  dwell- 
ings were  erected  on  the  "Newfields"  hills.  That  portion  of  the  town  later  called 
Wolcottville,  which  is  now  the  Borough  of  Torrington,  was  the  very  last  to  be 
populated.  It  was  covered  for  more  than  sixty  years  after  the  organization  of 
the  town  in  1740  with  a  thick  forest  of  pines  which  were  used  largely  by  ship- 
builders along  the  Sound  for  masts;  in  fact,  many  of  these  splendid,  long  pine 
poles  were  sent  to  England  for  use  in  the  construction  of  ships  in  the  navy  of 
Great  Britain.  It  is  this  use  of  the  pine  that  gave  the  name  of  "Mast  Swamp" 
until  1806  to  what  is  now  the  Borough  of  Torrington. 

Amos  Wilson  was  the  first  to  use  the  water  power  of  the  Naugatuck  for  mill 
purposes  in  1 75 1 ,  near  the  present  site  of  the  Hotchkiss  Brothers  Company.  This 
brought  about  the  first  era  of  frame  dwellings,  and  John  Brooker,  in  1803,  on  tne 
spot  where  South  Main  and  Litchfield  streets  intersect,  erected  the  first  home 
with  lumber  from  Wilson's  Mill.  In  1806  the  villagers  changed  the  name  of  their 
little  community  from  Mast  Swamp  to  New  Orleans  Village.  This  was  the  period 
of  the  Louisiana  Purchase,  and  a  considerable  emigration  had  started  from  New 
England  to  the  new  territory.  It  is  believed  that  the  settlers  in  Mast  Swamp  had 
heard  so  much  of  New  Orleans  that  they  decided  to  call  their  own  little  com- 
munity by  that  name.  There  is  no  other  plausible  explanation  for  the  change 
of  name. 

In  1813  Governor  Oliver  Wolcott  and  some  other  members  of  his  family  from 
Litchfield  purchased  the  water  privileges  extending  from  Wilson's  Mill  southerly 
to  the  point  where  the  stream  is  now  bridged.  In  the  same  year  the  woolen  mill 
was  built  on  the  river  on  what  is  now  known  as  Water  Street.  It  was  during  the 
construction  of  this  mill  by  the  members  of  the  Wolcott  family  that  the  sugges- 
tion was  made  to  change  the  name  of  the  valley  from  New  Orleans  Village  to 
Wolcottville.  For  over  sixty-eight  years  this  was  its  designation.  The  first 
schoolhouse  was  built  in  1814  on  Main  Street.  In  1820  the  first  church  was  con- 
structed of  brick  on  South  Main  Street.  The  "Gazeteer  of  the  States  of  Con- 
necticut and  Rhode  Island"  in  1819  described  the  little  village  as  follows: 

"Wolcotville,  a  village  of  eighteen  houses,  has  been  built  principally  since 
[802,  and  is  an  active,  flourishing  place.  Its  growth  has  been  chiefly  owing  to  the 
establishment  of  an  extensive  woolen  factory,  which  is  now  owned  principally 
by  his  Excellency,  Oliver  Wolcott.  It  is  one  of  the  largest  establishments  of  the 
kind  in  the  state,  employing  about  forty  workmen  and  manufacturing  from 
twenty  to  thirty-five  yards  of  broadcloth  daily,  at  an  average  value  of  $6.00 
per  vard." 

Tn  1836  the  following  description  appeared  in  "Barber's  Historical  Collec- 
tion.-" : 

"Wolcottville,  the  principal  village  in  the  Town  of  Torrington,  is  situated  in  a 
valley  near  the  southern  boundary  of  the  town,  at  the  junction  of  the  two  branches 
of  the  Waterbury  and  Naugatuck  rivers,  twenty-six  miles  from  Hartford,  and 
forty  from  New  Haven.  The  village  consists  of  about  forty  dwellings,  a  hand- 
some Congregational  Church,  a  three-story  brick  building  used  as  a  house  of 
worship  by  various  denominations  (also  as  an  academy),  four  mercantile  stores, 
two  taverns,  a  postoffice,  and  an  extensive  woolen  factory,  and  an  establishment 
for  the  manufacture  of  brass  is  now  being  erected.  It  is  believed  to  be  the  only 
one  of  the  kind  at  present  in  the  United  States." 


fat  : 


MONUMENT  ERE(  TED  TO  THE  MEMORY  OF  THE  SISTERS  OF  MKKC'V.  TORRINGTON 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY      389 

In  [836  the  first  town  meeting  was  held  in  the  village,  an  innovation  for  the 
town,  as  all  their  meetings  up  to  this  time  had  hcen  held  on  the  hills.  Until  1865 
these  elections  and  meetings  were  held  in  one  of  the  three  churches,  but  in  the 
latter  year  the  Methodists  sold  their  meeting  house  to  the  town  and  it  was  changed 
into  a  village  hall.  The  altar  was  taken  out,  but  the  pews  remained  in  place  for 
the  accommodation  of  the  town  people.  These  meetings  were  held  in  this  old 
Methodist  Church  until  the  new  City  Hall  was  erected  in  1899. 

In  [88]  the  name  of  the  village  was  changed  to  Torrington  by  the  Federal 
postoffice  authorities,  as  there  had  been  great  confusion  in  the  mails  because  of 
the  two  names  by  which  the  town  and  the  village  were  designated,  and  because  of 
there  being  a  town  named  Wolcott  in  Connecticut.  The  Government  changed  the 
name  of  the  village  in  the  western  part  of  the  town  from  Torrington  to  West 
Torrington  and  gave  the  name  of  Torrington  to  the  Village  of  Wolcottville.  Tor- 
rington was  incorporated  as  a  borough  in  1887,  its  limits  being  practically  those 
of  Wolcottville. 

Xo  early  historv  of  Torrington  is  complete  without  a  mention  of  John  Brown, 
of  Harper's  Fern-  fame.  He  was  born  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  town. 
May  9,  1800,  and  the  old  Brown  homestead  is  still  in  existence,  although  very 
much  dilapidated,  and  it  is  today  owned  by  a  John  Brown  Association,  who  are 
considering  making  a  John  Brown  Museum  of  it  in  the  future. 

Another  noted  man  born  on  the  eastern  hills  of  the  town  was  Samuel  J.  Mills, 
the  father  of  foreign  missions  in  America.  A  monument  has  been  erected  to  his 
memory  by  the  citizens  of  Torrington. 

THE  FIRSf  HIGHWAYS 

The  first  road  in  Torrington  was  nothing  more  than  a  trail  which  followed  the 
line  of  the  present  highway  through  the  center  of  Torringford  to  Litchfield,  by 
way  of  what  is  now  Old  Litchfield  Street,  and  Four-Story  Hill.  As  early  as  1734 
travelers  between  Litchfield  and  the  settlements  on  the  Connecticut  River  were 
accustomed  to  use  this  trail.  Gradually  it  became  a  well-known  highway  and 
was  the  first  real  road  that  connected  Torrington  with  another  settlement.  The 
second  highway  was  made  about  1760,  through  its  intersection  with  the  road 
through  from  Torrington  to  Litchfield.  This  second  highway  was  twenty  feet 
wide  and  Main  Street  follows  its  course.  Shortly  after  this  second  road  was 
built,  another  was  laid,  from  the  intersection  of  the  first  and  second  roads,  to 
West  Torrington.  The  course  of  this  highway  was  the  same  as  that  followed  by 
Water  Street.  Migeon  Avenue  and  the  West  Torrington  Road.  South  Main 
Street  was  not  laid  until  1786. 

TORRINGFORD   SETTLEMENT 

The  first  settler  in  Torringford  was  Abraham  Dibble,  or  his  son.  the  historian 
does  not  know  which.  Dibble  came  from  Windsor  in  1744.  The  second  resident 
was  Benjamin  Bissell.  who  built  a  house  near  the  1  farwinton  line  the  next 
spring.  So  far  as  recorded,  there  were  in  Torringford  in  October.  1759,  22 
families,  consisting  of  166  persons,  many  of  whom  were  small  children.  A 
petition  was  sent  to  the  General  Assembly  at  that  time,  asking  that  they  be 
exempt  from  payment  toward  the  support  of  Rev.  Mr.  Roberts,  and  that  they  be 
given  permission  to  maintain  worship  among  themselves.  They  were  very  poor 
and  were  anxious  to  be  free  from  public  taxes.  The  next  spring  another  attempt 
was  made  to  secure  freedom  from  the  burden  of  supporting  the  church,  giving 


390      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

as  a  reason,  "their  distance  from  the  places  of  worship;  the  number  of  children 
and  older  people  who  could  not  go  such  distance  regularly ;  the  expense  attending 
the  education  of  their  children,  clearing  new  farms,  constructing  highways,  and 
the  many  inconveniences  of  a  new  country."  But  their  request  was  not  granted. 
This  section  of  the  town  was  called  East  Torrington  until  1761,  when  New  Hart- 
ford gave  its  consent  to  the  annexation  by  Torrington  of  the  four  miles  of  the 
west  tier  of  land  for  the  support  of  the  gospel ;  and  a  church  society  was  formed 
in  1763  under  the  name  Torringford,  the  name  being  made  from  the  names  Tor- 
rington and  New  Hartford.  The  Torringford  church  was  built  in  the  summer  of 
1768.  Torringford  has  always  been  an  agricultural  community,  and  has  never 
engaged  in  industrial  pursuits  to  any  extent.  The  nearest  to  this  was  the  brick 
industry  conducted  early  in  the  last  century  on  the  hill  above  Burrville. 

The  first  real  manufacturing  industry  in  this  section  was  the  making  of  clocks 
at  Holbrook  Mills  in  Hart  Hollow.  Quite  a  business  developed  and  a  number  of 
buildings  were  erected.  As  the  natural  outlet  of  the  place  was  through  Torring- 
ton, the  inhabitants  allied  themselves  with  Torrington  and  attended  church 
here.  Holbrook  Mills  were  established  by  Abijah  Holbrook,  who  came  from 
Bellingham,  Mass.,  to  Goshen,  July,  1787,  and  purchased  land  in  Hart  Hollow. 
Mr.  Holbrook  is  described  by  the  historian  as  a  "polished  gentleman  far  in  ad- 
vance of  his  generation  in  that  particular."  As  evidence  of  the  truth  of  this 
statement  it  is  interesting  to  recall  that  he  issued  an  emancipation  proclamation 
sixty-five  years  before  Lincoln  issued  his.  He  released  a  negro  man  and  woman 
who  had  been  his  slaves.  In  his  letter  of  emancipation  he  expressed  the  convic- 
tion that  "all  mankind  by  nature  are  entitled  to  equal  liberty  and  freedom." 
Elijah  Pond,  his  brother-in-law,  came  from  Grafton,  Mass.,  in  1790,  and  engaged 
in  the  mills  and  other  enterprises  with  his  brother-in-law.  It  was  their  intention 
to  work  the  old  iron  mine  on  Walnut  Mountain,  but  they  gave  up  this  plan  after 
investigating  the  difficulties  involved. 

y  About  1800  Capt.  Elisha  Hinsdale  came  from  Canaan  to  Hart  Hollow  and 
commenced  the  manufacture  of  scythes  and  axes,  engaging  also  in  general  black- 
smithing.  Hinsdale  succeeded  in  building  up  considerable  business.  His  products 
were  carried  by  wagon  to  the  Connecticut  River,  where  they  were  shipped  by 
water  to  many  other  states.  Hinsdale  also  built  a  gristmill  a  little  north  of  Hol- 
brook's  on  the  Hall  Meadow  Brook. 

Abijah  Holbrook  died  in  1812,  and  two  years  later  his  widow,  Mary,  sold  all 
the  interests  to  Erastus  Lyman  and  Thearon  Beach,  of  Goshen,  for  $2,150,  and 
moved  to  Western  New  York.  Elisha  Hinsdale  sold  his  property  in  1816  to  his 
brother  and  went  west.  After  the  death  of  Holbrook  and  the  removal  of  Hins- 
dale, the  business  died  out  and  now  there  is  practically  no  sign  of  it.  The  close 
observer,  however,  may  find  here  and  there  the  ruins  of  an  old  house  or  shop 
building  in  Hart  Hollow,  and  desolation  rules. 

In  February,  1813,  Elijah  B.  Loomis,  of  New  York,  and  Abner  M.  Warriner, 
f  Torrington,  entered  into  partnership  and  built  a  mill  for  the  manufacturing 
of  cotton,  woolen  and  other  goods  at  West  Torrington,  or  Torrington  Hollow,  as 
it  was  then  called.  This  plant  was  built  near  the  bridge  on  the  Goshen  turnpike. 
After  seven  or  eight  months'  operation  it  was  mortgaged  in  September,  1813,  to 
David  Wadhams  and  David  Thomas,  of  Goshen,  to  procure  capital  to  continue 
business,  but  the  mill  did  not  prosper  and  in  1827  was  sold  for  debt.  The  plant 
changed  hands  several  times  until  it  came  into  the  possession  of  Eratus  Hodges, 
who  for  a  time  conducted  the  business  with  some  success.  Then  it  was  discon- 
tinued and  Mr.  Hodges  and  Norris  North  turned  their  attention  to  the  clock- 
making  business  in  1820,  and  a  couple  of  years  later  built  a  factory  in  West  Tor- 


■;, 


RUINS  OF  THE  FIRST  FACTORY  OF   GAIL  BORDEN   CONDENSED  MILK   COMPANY, 

BURRVILLE,  NEAR  TORRINGTON 


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WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY      391 

rington.  This  clock  business  continued  for  about  four  years  and  then  went  to 
pieces.  After  the  clock-making  business  was  discontinued  in  West  Torrington,  a 
lock  factory  was  established.  The  leading  spirit  in  this  industry  was  George 
D.  Wadhams.  This  also  languished  for  a  year  or  two,  then  died.  The  next 
industry  to  be  started  was  that  of  making  skates,  which  was  continued  here  for 
several  years  and  then  removed  to  another  town.  The  property  vacated  by  the 
skate  company  in  i86<)  was  used  by  Chester  L.  Smith,  of  Litchfield,  for  a  toy 
factory.  He  made  sleds  for  the  children  and  continued  the  business  successfully 
until  his  death  in  August,  1876.  After  his  death,  his  successor  conducted  the 
business  for  some  time.  There  was  a  gristmill  below  the  site  of  the  present  bridge 
in  1800,  but  there  is  no  record  of  the  man  who  built  it  or  how  long  it  continued. 
The  sawmill  was  built  a  little  up  the  street,  northeast  of  Wrightville,  in  the  early 
part  of  the  century,  and  in  1856  or  1857  Ormel  Leach  made  some  improvements 
in  it.  He  ran  it  for  a  number  of  years  ;  then  built  the  mill  at  West  Torrington, 
which  Willard  H.  Barber  conducted  for  many  years.  Mr.  Barber  purchased  the 
property  in  1868. 

torrington's  early  industrial  expansion 

The  oldest  manufacturing  corporation  of  Torrington  is  the  Warrenton  Woolen 
Company,  formerly  the  Union  Mfg.  Co.,  under  which  name  it  was  conducted  for 
half  a  century.  \y 

In  1837  Francis  Newman  Holley,  an  iron  founder  of  Salisbury,  came  to  Wol- 
cottville.  and  with  John  Hungerford  formed  what  was  known  as  the  Union 
Manufacturing  Co.  In  1849  Mr.  Hungerford  retired  and  George  W.  Slade  joined 
Mr.  Holley  in  the  business.  At  this  time  they  were  manufacturing  fine  doe-skin. 
In  1856  a  disastrous  fire  destroyed  the  plant,  but  it  was  immediately  re-erected 
with  improved  equipment.  In  1859  Ransom  Holley,  Samuel  Workman  and  Jesse 
B.  Rose  became  partners  in  the  business  and  remained  in  it  until  1873.  In  that 
year  the  Holley  Bros,  retired  but  remained  active  in  the  development  of  the  vil- 
lage.    In  1894  the  present  name,  the  Warrenton  Woolen  Company,  was  adopted. 

Francis  Holley  was  one  of  the  main  factors  in  bringing  the  Naugatuck  Rail- 
road to  Wolcottville,  he  and  others  subscribing  $75,000  toward  the  enterprise.  In 
1868  he  organized  the  Wolcottville  Savings  Bank,  of  which  he  was  president  until 
his  death  in  1878.  The  new  postoffice  at  the  corner  of  Wrater  and  Prospect  streets 
is  on  the  site  of  what  was  the  old  Holley  homestead. 

It  is  to  Israel  Coe  that  the  town  owes  its  greatest  industry.  In  1834  he  pur- 
chased a  mill  privilege  in  Wolcottville  and  began  the  manufacture  of  brass  kettles. 
His  partner  in  the  enterprise  was  Israel  Holmes.  In  1841  the  partnership  was 
changed  to  a  corporation  and  the  name  of  Wolcottville  Brass  Co.  was  adopted. 
Its  capital  was  $56,000,  and  its  first  stockholders  were  Israel  Coe,  Anson  G.  Phelps 
and  John  Hungerford.  In  1842  John  Hungerford  became  president  and  in  1848 
owned  practically  all  of  the  stock.  In  1863  Lyman  W.  Coe  purchased  the  Wol- 
cottville Brass  Co.,  with  which  he  had  been  connected  in  1845,  and  started  under 
a  new  corporation  name,  the  Coe  Brass  Mfg.  Co.  From  this  time  on  the  brass 
industry  began  to  advance  and  was  enlarged  later  by  the  addition  of  the  Ansonia 
plant  of  Wallace  &  Sons.  On  the  formation  of  the  American  Brass  Co.  in  1898 
the  Coe  Brass  Co.  became  one  of  its  subsidiaries. 

Lyman  Wetmore  Coe  was  Torrington's  leading  citizen  from  1863  to  the 
time  of  his  death.  It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  he  was  a  lineal  descendant  of 
Ebenezer  Lyman,  first  settler  of  Torrington,  and  of  Jonathan  Coe,  who  came  to 
the  village  in  1735,  and  also  of  John  Wetmore,  .who  united  with  the  Torrington 


392      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

church  in  1758.  Associated  with  Mr.  Coe  in  the  purchase  of  -the  brass  company 
were  Elisha  Turner  and  James  S.  Elton,  who  were  then  prominently  connected 
with  the  Waterbury  Brass  Company. 

It  was  the  friendship  of  Elisha  Turner  for  Lyman  W.  Coe  that  induced  the 
former  to  bring  the  Turner  and  Clark  Mfg.  Co.  from  Waterbury  to  Torrington. 
This  firm  also  owned  the  Seymour  Mfg.  Co.,  and  on  May  18,  1863,  the  two 
companies  joined  their  forces  and  elected  directors  of  what  was  to  be  known 
as  the  Turner  &  Seymour  Mfg.  Co. 

In  this  same  important  year  of  1863  Achille  Migeon  returned  from  New  York 
to  Torrington,  where  his  parents  were  living,  and  organized  the  Union  Hardware 
Co..  with  a  capital  of  $12,000.  The  first  factory  was  located  in  what  is  now 
West  Torrington,  in  a  building  which  had  been  used  in  1820  as  a  clock  factory  and 
later  as  a  lock  factory.  George  D.  Wadhams  was  interested  in  the  making  of 
skates  in  this  factory  when  it  was  sold  to  the  Union  Hardware  Co.  In  1865  the 
Union  Hardware  Co.  moved  into  their  new  factory,  which  was  built  on  the  site 
of  their  present  location. 

It  was  in  September,  1863,  that  L.  W.  Coe  purchased  of  Jesse  B.  Rose  for 
$8,000  the  property  of  the  Wolcottville  Knitting  Co.,  consisting  of  land  with 
factory  buildings,  store  house,  water-wheel,  and  machinery,  dam  and  all  water 
privileges,  three  houses,  etc.,  and  transferred  the  same  to  the  Turner  &  Clark 
Mfg.  Co.,  of  Waterbury.  In  the  following  May,  this  company  moved  to  what 
was  then  known  as  Wolcottville.  Among  the  employees  of  the  Turner  &  Clark 
Mfg.  Co.  in  those  early  days  was  John  Hendey,  the  father  of  Henry  J.  Hendey. 
The  company  also  brought  to  Torrington  the  firm  of  Hopson  &  Brooks.  This 
firm  was  then  manufacturing  suspender  buckles  in  Waterbury. 

In  June,  1864,  it  was  purchased  by  the  Turner  &  Clark  Mfg.  Co.     It  was  in 
this  factory  on  Water  Street  that  the  idea  was  first  suggested  and  a  machine  was 
built  for  pointing  the  steel  for  making  sewing  machine  needles  by  an  improved 
method.    The  leading  manufacturers  of  sewing  machines  were  invited  to  Wolcott- 
ville to  consider  the  new  process,  but  refused  to  put  any  money  into  the  venture. 
It  was  after  this  refusal,  but  not  until  1866,  that  A.  F.  Migeon,  Elisha  Turner 
and  Charles  Alvord  formed  the  Excelsior  Needle  Co.     The  swaging  machines 
invented  by  Hopson  &  Brooks  were  from  time  to  time  greatly  improved  by  Wil- 
liam H.  Dayton.     In  fact,  Mr.  Dayton  probably  made  more  practical  mechanical 
and  labor-saving  improvements  for  the  benefit  of  Torrington  than  any  other  man, 
but,  after  all,  it  was  the  inventions  of  Orin  L.  Hopson  and  Heman  T.  Brooks 
which  were  responsible  for  the  beginning  and  the  growth  of  a  great  exclusive 
industry  peculiar  to  Torrington.     Prior  to    1866,   sewing  machine  needles  had 
been  made  by  slow  milling  process ;  it  was  the  Hopson  &  Brooks  invention  which 
decided  Messrs.  Migeon,  Alvord  and  Turner  to  organize  a  company  to  exploit 
their  ideas.     From  a  paid-up  capital  stock  of  $15,000,  with  $10,000  in  patents,  it 
has  grown,  until  today  its  capital  stock  is  $1,000,000.    Today  it  is  owned  by  what 
is  known  as  the  Torrington  Company,  although  the  needle  company  still  keeps  its 
corporate  existence.     It  manufactures  besides  needles,  knitting  machine  needles, 
hook  needles,   spokes   and  nipples.      The   capitalists   who   control   it  today  have 
capitalized  it  and  its  subsidiary  companies  at  $4,000,000.     Under  another  name, 
the    Standard    Spoke   and   Nipple   Company,   it   manufactures   only   spokes   and 
nipples. 

The  Hendey  Machine  Company  was  founded  in  1870  by  Henry  J.  and  Arthur 
Hendey,  who  began  the  making  and  repairing  of  iron  machinery  in  a  small  shop, 
using  for  motive  power  a  rotary  steam  engine  built  by  one  of  the  brothers.  In 
187 1   they  took  a  lease  on  the  East  Branch  Spoon  Shop.     In  1874  the  Hendey 


THE  TORRINGTON  LIBRARY 


TORRTNGTON  HIGH  SCHOOL 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  39:] 

.Machine  Company  was  organized  with  a  capital  stock  of  $16,000.  This  was  later 
increased  to  $300,000,  and  is  now  $900,000.  The  company  manufactures  lathes, 
shapers,  planers  and  ships  them  to  all  parts  of  the  world. 

In  [885  the  Torrington  Mfg.  Co.  started  its  organization  with  a  capital  stock 
of  $25,000,  manufacturing  upholstery  nails,  novelties,  special  machinery  and  all 
kinds  of  brass  turnings. 

In  1857  Charles  Hotchkiss  and  his  son,  Edward  C.  Hotchkiss,  purchased  the 
old  Wilson  Mill  property  with  the  oldest  known  water  privilege  in  that  section. 
Henry  Hotchkiss,  another  son,  entered  the  firm  in  1867.'  In  the  early  '80s,  on 
the  retirement  of  the  father,  the  name  was  changed  to  Hotchkiss  Brothers,  and 
in  [887,  when  Edward  11.  Hotchkiss  became  a  member,  the  name  became  Hotch- 
kiss Brothers  &  Company.  It  was  not  incorporated  until  May,  1891,  and  it  has 
since  become  known  as  the  Hotchkiss  Bros.  Co.  Its  capital  stock  at  the  time  of 
its  incorporation  was  $60,000. 

torrington's  schools 

The  first  schoolhouse  in  the  town  was  built  inside  the  stockade  of  the  fort  at 
the  Lyman  place  in  1741.  The  second  was  in  Torringford  in  1764.  During  the 
early  years  of  the  town's  history  the  educational  facilities  consisted  largely  of 
private  schools,  of  which  there  were  four  at  different  times.  The  Torringford 
school  was  essentially  a  public  institution  and  was  supported  by  a  tax  levied  on 
property  in  that  section  of  the  town.  This  tax  was  at  first  "penny  half-penny  on 
the  pound,"  but  in  1770  the  tax  was  4  shillings  on  the  pound.  The  school  was 
under  the  direction  of  the  Torringford  School  Society.  Later  in  1823  Epaphras 
Goodman  founded  an  academy  in  Torringford.  This  academy  was  of  a  rather 
select  character  and-  was  for  the  teaching  of  advanced  subjects.  It  continued  for 
nearly  thirty  years  and  turned  out  a  considerable  number  of  students  who  later 
became  prominent  in  public  life. 

Wolcottville  schools  grew  out  of  the  experience  gained  by  the  Torringford 
School  Society.  The  Wolcottville  school  district  was  not  formed  until  1812,  and 
there  were  no  taxes  for  this  district  until  1815,  although  a  schoolhouse  had  been 
built  on  Main  Street,  just  north  of  where  the  W.  W.  Mertz  Company  store  now 
stands.  It  is  probable  that  this  was  erected  by  popular  subscription.  This  first 
schoolhouse  consisted  of  only  one  room  until  1818,  when  another  was  added. 
About  1840  a  one-story  brick  schoolhouse  was  built  on  Litchfield  Street,  and  a 
year  later  another  on  George  Street.  Three  years  later  another  was  built  on 
Church  Street,  west  of  where  the  railroad  now  is.  In  1859  Lauren  Wetmore  gave 
to  the  town  the  land  where  stood  the  high  school  building,  which  was  destroyed 
by  fire  in  1913.  The  original  section  of  that  building  was  erected  in  1863.  This 
school  was  called  the  Academy.  The  school  on  George  Street  was  abandoned 
at  this  time.  The  first  principal  was  Lucius  Clark,  who  was  also  in  charge  of 
the  new  school  during  the  first  two  years  after  its  erection.  The  schools  of  the! 
town  were  consolidated  in  the  latter  part  of  1863.  There  was  also  in  the  early' 
part  of  the  century  a  school  in  West  Torrington,  which  had  been  erected  by  the 
joint  efforts  of  several  men,  one  of  whom  was  Erastus  Hodges.  This  school  was 
ntinued  for  some  thirty  years.  There  was  an  institution  called  the  Brick 
Academy,  established  in  the  early  days  of  Wolcottville  on  Main  Street,  south  of 
the  Center  Bridge. 

The  town  has  fourteen  school  buildings,  including  those  under  construction. 
Of  these  six  are,  or  will  be  when  completed,  of  fine  modern  construction. 

In  the  last  three  years  Torrington  has  appropriated  between  $600,000  and 


394      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

$700,000  for  new  school  buildings.  This  includes  the  new  Grammar  School  on 
Riverside  Avenue,  the  one  on  Church  Street,  the  South  School  and  the  new 
high  school  which  is  also  in  part  a  graded  school. 

The  new  high  school  building,  known  as  the  Center  School  building,  which 
cost  $300,000,  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  country.  The  Grammar  School  at  River- 
side cost  $120,000,  and  that  on  Church  Street  will  cost  $150,000. 

The  site  of  the  new  high  school  building  is  on  Church,  extending  through 
from  Prospect  to  Barber  Street.  The  frontage  is  about  233  feet  on  Church 
Street  and  220  feet  on  Prospect  Street.  The  capacity  is  about  1,000  pupils.  There 
is  a  minimum  of  corridor  space.  There  are  two  courts,  and  all  rooms,  including 
auditorium  and  gymnasium,  are  lighted  by  outside  windows,  without  any  impair- 
ment of  light. 

Upon  the  first  floor  there  are,  in  addition  to  the  executive  departments,  ten 
class  rooms  for  grammer  grades,  toilet  and  locker  rooms  with  emergency  rooms 
or  hospitals  for  both  sexes,  and  the  auditorium  with  stagehand  dressing  rooms. 

On  the  second  floor  there  are  five  class  rooms  for  grammar  grades ;  a  high 
school  study  hall  for  no  pupils  with  three  class  or  recitation  rooms  in  connection 
with  it ;  a  room  24  by  30  for  the  school  library ;  the  commercial  department,  two 
large  rooms  ;  toilet  and  locker  rooms  for  boys  and  girls,  and  a  rest  room  for 
women  teachers ;  the  gallery  of  the  auditorium.  Upon  each  floor  the  several  class 
rooms  are  so  arranged  that  they  may  be  thrown  together  into  larger  rooms  if  de- 
sired. 

The  third  floor,  which  is  devoted  entirely  to  the  high  school,  provides  two 
study  halls  for  no  pupils  each,  with  six  class  or  recitation  rooms;  the  science 
department ;  drawing  department ;  two  teachers'  rooms ;  toilet  and  locker  rooms 
for  pupils. 

The  science  department  consists  of  two  large  laboratories  with  a  lecture  room 
and  five  smaller  rooms  conveniently  arranged  for  specimens,  preparation  work, 
supplies,  apparatus,  etc.  The  equipment  with  its  desks,  tables,  ample  hoods,  cases, 
etc.,  is  complete  and  perfect.  The  hoods  and  tables  are  finished  with  stone  tops 
and  fully  equipped  with  gas,  water,  air  blast,  electricity,  etc.  The  drawing  de- 
partment consists  of  two  large  rooms. 

The  auditorium  seats  650  on  the  main  floor,  300  on  the  gallery,  and  80  on 
the  stage.  On  the  main  floor  five  exits  with  a  width  of  35  feet  are  provided  for 
front  of  room,  and  additional  exits  are  provided  near  the  stage,  in  side  walls. 
For  the  gallery  there  are  three  exits  with  a  width  of  21  feet.  Main  floor  and 
gallery  are  entered  from  level  of  corridor  without  steps  and  entrance.  The  room 
is  designed  with  special  reference  to  its  acoustic  properties. 

The  gymnasium  is  so  arranged  that  it  can  be  used  by  boys  or  girls  at  will. 
The  height  is  such  that  a  running  track  may  be  put  in  if  desired.  The  rear  en- 
trance permits  the  gymnasium  to  be  used  evenings  without  the  occupants  having 
access  to  the  balance  of  the  building. 

The  Board  of  Education  is  as  follows :  Thomas  W.  Bryant,  George  E.  Cook, 
Charles  H.  Alvord,  John  Calhoun,  Dr.  T.  M.  Ryan,  Wm.  Fred  Mills,  Wm.  A. 
Glecson,  Rev.  Otto  Seidenstuecker,  Frederick  W.  Fuessenich.  The  superintendent 
(if  schools  is  George  J.  Vogel. 

CHURCHES  OF  TORRINGTON 

As  early  as  1739,  while  the  settlement  consisted  of  only  a  few  families,  the 
1  leneral  Assembly  was  presented  with  a  memorial  bearing  the  names  of  twenty- 
live  men  who  prayed  to  be  organized  into  a  society,  and  that  taxes  might  be 


THE  THIRD  CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH,  TORRINGTON 


METHODIST    EPISCOPAL    CHURCH,   TORRINGTON 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  395 

imposed  for  the  "support  of  a  gospel  ministry."  History  records  the  organization 
of  a  church  October  21,  1741,  with  the  Rev.  Nathaniel  Roberts  as  pastor,  and 
there  is  reason  for  thinking  that  he  preached  in  Torrington  at  least  a  portion 
of  the  time  during  the  first  year  of  the  existence  of  the  ecclesiastical  society.  Foi 
over  thirty  years  this  first  church  in  Torrington  was  known  as  "The  Church 
of  Christ  in  Torrington."  Like  many  other  churches  in  the  state  at  that  time 
it  was  sometimes  referred  to  as  Presbyterian,  though  without  any  connection  what- 
ever with  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Some  time  after  the  death  of  its  first  pastor, 
in  March.  1776,  it  took  the  denominational  name  of  Congregational.  Thus  came 
into  existence  what  is  now  the  First  Congregational  Church  of  Torrington. 

The  Torringford  church  was  the  next  organized,  probably  in  September,  1764. 
The  society  was  incorporated  in  October  the  year  before,  and  held  its  first  meet- 
ing under  the  name  of  "Torringford"  the  following  December.  The  reason,  or 
rather  the  condition,  which  led  10  the  organization  of  this  second  church,  and  a 
plea  which  largely  influenced  the  Legislature  in  granting  it  rights  of  a  separate 
body,  was  the  existence  of  the  deep  and  dangerous  swamp  which  the  people  in  that 
section  of  the  town  were  obliged  to  traverse  in  order  to  reach  the  First  church. 
With  these  two  churches  rests  the  history  of  Congregationalism  in  Torrington  for 
more  than  the  next  sixty  years. 

It  was  not  until  December  3,  1829,  that  the  first  organized  movement  for 
the  establishment  of  what  is  now  the  Center  Congregational  Church  was  instituted. 
This  movement  resulted  in  the  formation  of  the  "Village  Society  of  Torrington," 
and  was  brought  about  largely  by  Capt.  LTri  Taylor,  whose  name  is  memorial- 
ized in  one  of  the  handsome  windows,  unveiled  in  1900.  For  nearly  twenty  years 
the  gospel  had  been  preached  in  YYolcottville  (now  the  Borough  of  Torrington) 
by  various  ministers  of  different  denominations,  the  people  assembling  at  one 
place  and  another,  not  having  any  established  house  of  worship  nearer  than  the  two 
churches  above  described.  Captain  Taylor  manfully  and  promptly  stepped  in  and 
led  off  in  the  erection  of  a  house  of  worship.  He  therefore  gave  the  land  and 
built  thereon  a  Congregational  meeting-house,  the  building  now  occupied  in  part 
as  a  library  and  in  part  as  a  school  on  the  corner  of  Church  and  Prospect 
streets,  before  either  the  society  or  the  church  was  organized.  Others  aided  but 
on  him  rested  the  greater  part  of  the  responsibility  of  the  undertaking.  He 
built  the  parsonage  the  same  way.  and  "passed  the  whole  property,  of  meeting 
house  and  minister's  dwelling,  into  the  hands  of  the  society,  without  any  claims 
except  the  reservation  of  one  pew  in  the  church  for  his  descendants  as  long  as 
they  shall  choose,  or  shall  be  here  to  occupy  it." 

This  being:  done,  a  meetine;  was  called  "of  the  inhabitants  of  Wolcottville,  at 
Capt.  Uri  Taylor's,  December  3,  1829,  to  take  into  consideration  the  expediency 
of  forming  an  ecclesiastical  society."  This  meeting  voted,  "That  we  whose  names 
are  hereafter  annexed  do  consider  ourselves  as  formed  into  an  ecclesiastical  so- 
ciety to  be  known  by  the  name  of  The  Village  Society  of  Torrintgon.' '  Those 
to  become  members  of  the  society  soon  numbered  thirty-two.  Their  names  fol- 
low: Lyman  Wetmore,  John  Hungerford,  Jr.,  William  Leach,  Joel  Hall.  Daniel 
S.  Rogers,  George  P.  Bissell,  Harmon  Cook.  George  D.  Wadhams,  Luther  Bissell, 
Lauren  Wetmore,  Elijah  Phelps,  Samuel  Beach,  Amasa  Scoville.  Leverett  Scott, 
Elizur  Barber,  John  W.  Scoville,  David  Baldwin,  Samuel  Brooker,  William  Olcott, 
Amos  Wilson,  John  Cook,  Israel  Coe,  Anson  Stocking.  Asa  G.  Adams,  Charles  S. 
Church,  Arvid  Dayton.  Joseph  Barrett,  Linus  Dunbar,  George  P.  Roberts,  Russell 
C.  Abernethy,  and  William  S.  Flungerford. 

Shortly  after  the  forming  of  the  society  at  this  meeting  an  arrangement 
was  made  with  the  Rev.  William   R.   Gould,  then  pastor  of  the  First   church, 


396      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

whereby  he  was  to  preach  in  the  Wolcottville  meeting-house  two-fifths  of  the 
Sabbaths  for  one  year,  the  other  three-fifths  of  the  Sabbaths  to  be  given  to  the 
Torrington  church.  Air.  Gould  was  dismissed  from  the  Torrington  church  in 
February,  1832,  and  the  Wolcottville  worshippers  at  the  meeting-house  were 
obliged  to  get  their  preaching  from  other  quarters  until  the  church  was  organ- 
ized on  June  11,  1832,  which  was  done  after  the  order  of  the  denomination  by  a 
committee  of  the  Litchfield  North  consociation.  The  charter  membership  num- 
bered twenty-nine,  twenty-one  being  received  by  letter  and  eight  by  profession  of 
faith,  as  follows :  David  Baldwin,  Mrs.  Sarah  Baldwin,  Sarah  Ann  Baldwin, 
Elizur  Barber,  Mrs.  Polly  Barber,  Mrs.  Lucy  Bissell,  Ruth  Brooks,  Rebecca  Good- 
man, Sarah  Hungerford,  Mrs.  Charlotte  Hungerford,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Eno,  Mrs. 
Ursula  Frost,  Nancy  S.  Goodman,  John  Hungerford,  Abigail  Taylor,  Lyman 
Wetmore,  Mrs.  Betsey  Wetmore,  Lauren  Wetmore,  Louisa  Wetmore,  Leverett 
Scott,  Mrs.  Leverett  Scott,  Sarah  Wilcox,  Lydia  Kimberly,  Maria  S.  North, 
Ruhama  Smith,  George  D.  Wadhams,  and  Mrs.  Lucy  Wadhams — twenty-two 
.  women  and  seven  men. 

The  church  being  thus  organized,  the  "Village  Society,"  at  a  meeting  held 
August  30,  1832,  voted  unanimously  to  call  the  Rev.  Hiram  P.  Arms,  D.  D., 
to  become  the  pastor  of  the  church  and  society.  He  accepted  the  call  and  was 
installed  February  7,  1833,  serving  until  July  6,  1836. 

The  Sunday  school,  which  now  numbers  on  its  rolls  over  five  hundred  scholars, 
had  its  beginning  in  1827,  while  the  first  meeting  house  was  yet  unfinished.  It  was 
started  by  Mrs.  Charlotte  Hungerford,  who  used  to  meet  a  handful  of  scholars  in 
the  gallery  of  the  unfinished  building,  and  has  grown  steadily  to  its  present  pro- 
portions. 

The  meeting-house  given  to  the  society  through  the  generosity  of  Captain 
Taylor  was  made  to  do  service  for  about  thirty-seven  years.  Its  interior  was  so 
remodeled  in  1844  as  to  practically  make  it  a  second  meeting-house. 

The  agitation  for  a  new  church  edifice  took  on  practical  form  in  1864,  when  a 
committee  reported  $4,375  subscribed  for  that  purpose.  This  subscription  was 
increased  to  $5,000,  of  which  $3,500  was  to  be  used  for  reconstruction  and  $1,500 
for  a  conference  room.  Lauren  Wetmore  was  empowered  to  contract  for  the 
work.  "This,"  says  Doctor  Perrin  in  his  memorial  sermon,  delivered  July  9,  1876, 
"was  the  opening  wedge  of  the  protracted,  perplexing,  and  nobly  sustained  effort 
of  the  society,  which  gave  us  finally,  after  long  continued  struggles,  this  solid, 
chaste,  and  truly  beautiful  granite  edifice  as  a  Sabbath  home." 

The  population  of  Torrington  in  those  days  did  not  exceed  2,500  and  while 
the  Congregational  communion  had  outgrown  its  first  church  home  the  member- 
ship was  still  a  comparatively  very  poor  one  to  what  it  is  today.  It  included  few 
men  of  large  means,  in  fact  none,  as  wealth  is  now  regarded.  But  the  indebted- 
ness was  paid  and  the  church  continued  to  grow  until  the  need  of  still  larger 
quarters  was  felt.  This  want  was  met  by  the  noble  efforts  of  the  consecrated 
women,  who,  in  1880,  built  a  frame  chapel  or  parish  house  on  the  south  of  the 
church,  at  a  cost  of  $3,000. 

'I  he  first  practical  steps  were  taken  during  the  spring  and  summer  of  1897. 
At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  society,  held  April  12th,  of  that  year,  the  question 
of  enlarging  was  discussed  and  the  society's  committee  was  authorized  and  in- 
structed to  make  investigation  looking  to  the  improvement  of  the  church  property, 
the  providing  of  additional  room,  to  prepare  plans  for  the  same,  to  make  such 
recommendation  as  it  might  deem  desirable,  and  to  report  to  some  future  meeting. 
The  contract  as  finally  let  provided  that  the  parish  house  should  be  built  first 
and  finished  so  that  it  could  he  used  for  the  regular  services  of  the  church  while 


ST.  FRANCIS   CATHOLIC  CHURCH,   TORRIXGTOX 


monument  at  torringford  to  mark  the  site  of  first  meeting  house 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  397 

the  church  proper  was  being  rebuilt.  This,  of  course,  required  more  time  than 
would  ordinarily  be  taken  to  do  the  work.  The  old  chapel  was  moved  down  to 
the  walk,  where  it  continued  to  be  used  for  Sunday  school  and  society  purposes 
until  the  new  building  was  finished.  In  1899  it  was  removed  to  Pearl  Street  by 
the  French  Congregationalists,  to  whom  it  had  been  donated,  and  now,  after 
being  remodeled,  serves  them  as  a  neat  and  comfortable  house  of  worship. 

The  new  parish  house  was  occupied  early  in  May.  1900.  It  is  a  unique  and 
commodious  building.  ( >n  the  first  or  main  floor  is  located  the  parlor,  with  a 
bay  window  looking  out  upon  the  lawn  and  street.  Sliding  doors  connect  it  on 
the  west  with  the  Sunday  school  room,  which  is  also  divided  by  sliding  doors  into 
two  rooms  to  accommodate  the  primary  and  kindergarten  departments.  The 
larger  room  is  used  for  prayer  meeting  and  other  weekly  services.  For  social 
purposes  the  whole  floor  is  thrown  into  one  large  room. 

On  the  second  floor  are  located  the  pastor's  study  and  a  large  room  fronting 
on  Main  Street. 

The  seating  capacity  of  the  church  before  it  was  reconstructed  was  353. 
Today  there  are  in  round  numbers,  sitting  accommodations  for  700  people,  besides 
the  353  seats  that  may,  when  occasion  demands,  be  secured  by  opening  the  sliding 
doors  on  the  first  and  second  floors  of  the  parish  house.  These  extra  available 
seats  command  almost  as  good  a  view  of  the  chancel,  choir  and  organ  as  is  to 
be  obtained  from  any  point  of  the  nave. 

The  church  now  has  about  seven  hundred  members. 

The  officers  of  the  Congregational  churches  in  1917  are  as  follows: 

First  Congregational  Church,  pastor,  Rev.  E.  H.  Burt;  clerk,  Levi  Hodges; 
treasurer,  Willard  A.  Cowles. 

Second  Congregational  Church,  at  Torringford,  pastor,  Rev.  Wesley  E. 
Page :  clerk  and  treasurer,  Wm.  L.  Durand. 

Center  Congregational  Church,  pastor,  Rev.  Charles  T.  Patched ;  clerk.  Frank 
M.  Jeffrey. 

The  French  Congregational  Church  was  organized  in  1897,  located  at  49  E. 
Pearl  Street. 

John  F.  Alvord  has  erected  a  beautiful  small  chapel  in  Hillside  Cemetery  in 
memory  of  his  parents,  Charles  and  Almira  Burtis  Alvord.  It  was  dedicated 
in  1913. 

Trinity  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  Parish  was  organized  in  1843,  and  a 
building  was  erected  at  the  corner  of  Prospect  and  Water  streets  the  following 
year.  Rev.  Henry  Zell  became  first  pastor,  in  January,  1845.  The  present 
edifice  was  built  in  1898.  The  church  property  has  been  added  to  by  gift  and 
purchase  until  it  is  now  one  of  the  most  valuable  in  the  county.  The  parish 
house  was  built  in  1910.  This  structure  served  as  a  temporary  hospital  during 
the  typhoid  fever  epidemic  of  1911.  The  parish  has  over  eight  hundred  com- 
municants.    Rev.  J.  Chauncey  Linsley  has  been  rector  since  July,  1895. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  organized  in  1810,  in  Newfield.  The 
congregation  met  in  the  old  meeting  house  there,  which  was  also  used  by  other 
denominations.  The  first  house  of  worship  was  built  in  Wolcottville,  in  1843. 
The  Methodists  had  held  services  in  Wolcottville  during  fifty-three  years  pre- 
ceding that  date,  but  there  was  no  real  church  home.  The  structure  built  in  1843 
was  later  used  as  a  town  hall.    The  present  building  was  erected  in  1865. 

The  membership  is  now  about  four  hundred  and  fifty.  The  president  of  the 
board  of  trustees  is  F.  L.  Braman.     The  Rev.  Fred  F.  Yoorhees  is  pastor. 

The  first  sendee  of  Calvary  Baptist  Congregation  was  held  in  a  temporary 
church,  December  8.   1895,  but  the  organization  was  not  perfected  until   April 


398      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

13,  1896.  The  new  church  was  dedicated  October  27,  1897.  It  has  today  a  mem- 
bership of  about  two  hundred,  and  a  new  pastor  (Rev.  W.  T.  Aiken)  is  to  begin 
his  services  sometime  in  the  fall.  The  clerk  is  W.  E.  Bennett,  and  the  treasurer, 
Benjamin  B.  Phillips. 

The  Advent  Church  meets  at  44  Barker  Street.  Its  pastor  is  Rev.  Jefferson 
H.  Batson. 

The  Sons  of  Jacob,  a  Jewish  organization,  hold  services  in  their  synagogue 
at  22.7  E.  Main  Street.  The  rabbi  is  Rev.  Harry  Radetsky.  It  was  organized 
two  years  ago. 

The  African  M.  E.  Zion  Congregation  meets  at  60  Brightwood  Avenue.  Its 
pastor  is  Edward  A.  Carroll. 

About  thirty-seven  years  ago  the  German  residents  formed  St.  Paul's  Ger- 
man Lutheran  Church,  holding  services  first  in  the  Center  Congregational  Church 
and  later  in  the  Methodist  Church.  On  January  6,  1895,  the  first  service  was 
held  by  Rev.  E.  Zwinger. 

In  1900,  Rev.  Mr.  Zwinger  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Otto  Seidenstuecker,  the 
present  pastor,  who  came  from  Collinsville,  where  he  had  been  pastor  of  St. 
Matthew's  German  Lutheran  Church. 

During  these  years  the  congregation  was  continually  increasing.  In  1903  a 
bell  was  installed  in  the  belfry  of  the  church,  and  the  following  year  a  pipe  organ, 
which  is  still  used,  was  bought  from  Trinity  Church. 

In  1908  it  was  found  necessary  to  enlarge  the  interior  of  the  church  and 
install  a  gallery,  the  latter  seating  over  two  hundred  people. 

The  first  Roman  Catholic  service  in  Torrington  was  held  in  1835,  in  the 
building  now  known  as  the  O'Brien  Block,  on  South  Main  Street.  This  first 
service  was  held  by  Rev.  James  Fitten.  Then,  until  1842,  no  services  are  known 
to  have  been  held,  but  in  that  year  Rev.  John  Brady,  of  Hartford,  began  to  hold 
services  once  a  year  in  the  house  of  Richard  Hennessey,  in  the  western  part  of 
the  village.  In  1848,  Rev.  Michael  O'Neile,  of  Waterbury,  was  appointed  to 
administer  to  the  spiritual  wants  of  the  Catholics  of  the  village.  Father  O'Neile 
purchased  a  lot  on  the  east  side  of  Main  Street,  in  1851,  and  this  was  the  nucleus 
of  the  present  site  of  St.  Francis  Church,  the  parochial  residence,  the  convent 
and  the  parochial  school.  The  first  church  building  was  built  in  1859-60. 
Another  plot  of  land  was  purchased  in  1884,  and  September  13,  1886,  the  corner- 
stone of  the  present  structure  was  laid.  It  was  finished  in  1888,  and  the  parochial 
residence  was  erected  in  1888.  The  convent  and  school  buildings,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  newest,  were  built  in  1891.  The  first  resident  pastor  was  Rev.  Father 
Isaiah,  O.  S.  F.,  appointed  in  1874.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  John  H.  Duggan, 
in  1877,  who  served  for  two  years,  and  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Patrick  Duggan, 
who  was  pastor  until  191 1.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Arthur  O'Keefe,  the 
present  pastor.  The  church  has  nearly  two  thousand  communicants.  In  1914  a 
new  $5,000  pipe  organ  was  installed. 

St.  Peter's  Italian  Roman  Catholic  Church  was  partially  erected  in  1908  on 
Center  Street.  At  present  services  are  held  in  the  stone  basement.  The  pastor 
is  Rev.  Salvatore  Bonforti.     Its  membership  is  2,000. 

The  Sacred  Heart  (Slovak  Roman  Catholic)  Church  has  recently  been  organ- 
ized.   It  has  its  church  at  no  Grove  Street.    The  pastor  is  Rev.  Stephen  J.  Panik. 

torrington's  banks 

The  Brooks  Bank  &  Trust  Company  is  the  successor  of  the  Brooks  National 
Bank,  which  became  a  state  financial  institution  early  in  1917.     It  was  founded 


EPISCOPAL  CHURCH,  TORRINGTON 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  399 

in  1872  as  Brooks  Brothers,  Bankers,  the  organizers  being  Isaac  W.  and  John 
W.  Brooks.  The  institution  became  a  national  bank  in  1899.  Its  capital  stock  is 
$100,000.  Its  surplus  and  profits  are  $115,000.  The  deposits  are  over  one 
million  dollars. 

The  officers  are :  John  N.  Brooks,  president ;  Charles  L.  McNeil,  vice  presi- 
dent;  H.  E.  Munson,  treasurer;  A.  F.  Austin,  assistant  treasurer. 

The  Torrington  Savings  Bank  was  founded  as  The  YVolcottville  Savings 
Bank,  in  1868,  Francis  M.  Holley  being  its  first  president.  Isaac  M.  Brooks  took 
the  bank  over  soon  after.  Its  deposits  July  I,  1917,  were  $2,521,289.45.  Its 
total  assets,  $2,632,436.07.  The  president  is  John  N.  Brooks ;  treasurer,  John  M. 
Wadhams. 

The  Torrington  National  Bank  was  founded  in  1899  by  its  present  stock- 
holders. In  July,  1916,  it  increased  its  capital  from  $100,000  to  $200,000.  Its 
surplus  and  profits  are  $160,000.  Deposits  are  about  three  millions.  On  June  1, 
1917,  it  moved  into  its  fine  new  building  which  it  had  erected  at  a  cost  of  $75,000. 

The  Torrington  Trust  Company  was  founded  December  18,  1916.  Its  savings 
depositors  number  1,650,  with  deposits  of  $200,000.  It  has  $100,000  on  deposit 
in  checking  accounts.  Its  officers  are:  President,  Harry  J.  Wylie ;  treasurer, 
Frank  M.  Baldwin. 

torrington's  chamber  of  commerce 

Torrington's  Chamber  of  Commerce  has  been  in  existence  for  over  twenty- 
five  years,  starting  as  a  business  men's  association.  It  has  within  the  past  few 
years  erected  a  fine  three-story  building,  on  North  Main  Street,  at  a  cost,  includ- 
ing site,  of  $82,000.  Its  president  is  James  E.  Mallette ;  secretary,  Frank  M. 
Jeffrey ;  treasurer,  John  H.  Seaton. 

The  Employers'  Association  of  Litchfield  County  also  have  offices  in  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  Building.  Its  president  is  L.  G.  Kibbe ;  secretary,  George 
H.  Atkins  ;  treasurer,  F.  M.  Travis. 

THE    TORRINGTON    LIBRARY 

The  Torrington  Library  was  founded  on  October  22,  1864,  by  a  group  of 
what  were  then  Wolcottville  residents,  each  supplying  a  quantity  of  books.  It 
was  known  as  the  Wolcottville  Library  Association. 

Early  in  1865  the  library  and  reading  room  were  opened  to  the  public.  During 
its  first  fifteen  years  it  occupied  rooms  in  the  Granite  Block.  In  1880  it  was 
removed  to  larger  quarters,  in  the  Wetmore  Building,  on  the  corner  of  Church 
and  Prospect  streets,  subsequently  called  the  Library  Building.  In  1881  it 
became  known  as  the  Torrington  Library  Association,  and  in  1899  it  was  offi- 
cially incorporated  as  the  "Torrington  Library." 

The  library  owes  its  present  equipment  to  two  Torrington  benefactors,  Lauren 
Wetmore  and  Elisha  Turner.  The  former,  who  died  in  1890,  gave  to  the  public 
for  "the  establishment  of  a  free  public  library  and  reading  room,"  the  income 
from  the  Wetmore  Building  and  personal  property  to  the  value  of  $20,000. 
Elisha  Turner,  in  1899,  gave  the  site  and  present  magnificent  library  structure  to 
Torrington.  Mr.  Turner  died  in  1900  and  willed  a  total,  including  his  previous 
gift,  of  $100,000  to  the  association. 

The  dedication  took  place  in  190T.  The  building  is  of  white  marble  in  a  sim- 
ple treatment  of  the  Neo-Greek  style  of  architecture.  It  has  a  stack  capacity 
of  42,000  volumes.     Including  the  late  Mr.  Turner's  collection  of  rare  volumes, 


400  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

a  further  gift,  the  lihrary  now  has  on  its  shelves  14,000  volumes.     G.  H.  Welch 
is  president  of  the  association  and  Miss  L.  T.  Mason  is  librarian. 

torrington's  y.  m.  c.  a. 

Torrington's  Y.  M.  C.  A.  was  organized  on  April  7,  1890,  its  principal  sup- 
porters being  Isaac  Brooks,  Charles  Alvord,  Lyman  Coe  and  Elisha  Turner. 
Mr.  Turner  gave  the  site  for  the  building  and  in  1891  this  was  erected.  In  1897 
the  debt  on  the  building  was  paid.  The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  has  now  purchased  the  lot 
next  to  its  present  site,  and  hopes  to  have  its  new  fund  large  enough  to  build  a 
magnificent  structure  next  year.     It  has  at  present  a  membership  of  250. 

Its  officers  are:  Harry  J.  Wylie,  president;  W.  A.  Cowles,  vice  president; 
John  M.  Wadhams,  treasurer;  recording  secretary,  Mason  Turner;  general  sec- 
retary, L.  H.  Avery. 

The  Women's  Auxiliary  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  has  as  officers :  President,  Mrs. 
Anne  Klein;  secretary,  Jessie  F.  Capell;  treasurer,  Mrs.  G.  H.  Wilcox. 

THE    CHARLOTTE    HUNGERFORD    HOSPITAL 

The  Charlotte  Hungerford  Hospital,  the  gift  of  U.  T.  Hunger  ford  as  a 
memorial  to  his  mother,  was  dedicated  October  4,  19 16,  and  gives  Torrington 
one  of  the  finest  institutions  of  this  kind  in  the  country.  During  the  first  few 
months  of  its  occupancy  it  has  given  such  service  to  the  borough  and  town  that 
a  further  enlargement  will  be  only  a  matter  of  a  few  years. 

The  hospital  is  situated  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  borough,  near  the 
summit  of  Four-Story  Hill,  to  the  north  of  the  old  road  to  Litchfield,  a  continu- 
ation of  Old  Litchfield  Street.  A  driveway  of  easy  grade  winds  up  from  Old 
Litchfield  Street  to  the  crest  of  the  shoulder  of  the  hill  upon  which  the  hospital 
stands.  From  this  site  there  is  one  of  the  most  picturesque  views  to  be  had  in 
the  Naugatuck  Valley,  and  from  it  the  eye  sweeps  over  the  eastern  hills  of 
Torringford,  far  up  the  valley  toward  Winchester,  and  even  discerns  the  hills  of 
Norfolk.  The  rocks  and  bushes  have  been  cleared  away  around  the  hospital 
and  there  will  be  eventually  a  finely  developed  park. 

The  building  is  entirely  fireproof,  three-story  and  basement  administration 
building,  with  a  two-story  extension  containing  the  principal  wards.  The  prin- 
cipal entrance  is  in  the  middle  of  the  east  front  of  the  administration  building,  a 
little  below  the  first  floor  level,  and  marble  steps  lead  to  the  entrance  hall  on  the 
first  floor.  From  this  hall,  which  has  a  marble  floor  and  marble  pillars  support- 
ing ornamental  ceiling  beams,  open  the  offices,  the  reception  and  waiting  rooms 
and  the  elevator,  as  well  as  the  corridors  leading  to  other  parts  of  the  building. 
On  the  west  is  the  ambulance  entrance  with  a  well  equipped  accident  or  admit- 
ting room. 

At  the  south,  on  the  first  and  second  floors,  are  the  lar^e  wards  with  enclosed 
sun  parlor  at  the  end.  Adjoining  them  on  each  floor  are  the  patients'  dining 
room,  the  serving  room  equipped  with  refrigerator,  steam  table,  sink  and  cup- 
boards, and  connected  with  the  kitchen  by  dumb  waiter;  the  isolation  ward,  the 
linen  room  and  patients'  bath  rooms. 

On  the  second  floor,  besides  the  large  ward  and  the  room  adjoining  it,  there 
are  six  one-bed  wards,  two  two-bed  wards,  and  one  four-bed  ward.  Four  of  the 
small  wards  have  private  baths.  In  a  recess  from  the  hall,  on  both  first  and 
second  floors,  is  a  nurses'  station  with  a  desk  and  medicine  cupboard,  and  tele- 
phone and  nurses'  call  signals. 


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W'ATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  401 

The  third  floor  is  divided  and  the  northerly  section  is  the  operation  suite. 
The  operating  room  has  a  large  window  towards  the  north ;  the  walls  are  wain- 
scoted with  large  slahs  of  white  opaque  glass  and  the  floor  is  of  white  tiles. 
Nearby  is  the  anesthetizing  room,  the  sterilizing  room,  the  instrument  room,  the 
doctors'  lavatory  with  bath  room  and  lockers,  and  the  nurses'  lavatory  with  bath. 
The  remainder  of  the  third  floor  is  occupied  by  two  rooms  which  will  be  used 
for  X-ray  equipment,  and  four-bed  and  one-bed  maternity  wards,  and  the  neces- 
sary service  rooms  in  connection  with  them. 

From  the  third  floor  hall,  wide  glass  doors  open  out  on  the  roof  over  the  two- 
story  extension  which  is  paved  with  tile  and  affords  a  large,  airy  promenade  with 
a  shelter  roof  at  the  end  against  the  building. 

In  the  basement  are  the  kitchen  and  serving  room  with  store  rooms,  refrigera- 
tors, etc.,  dining  rooms  for  nurses,  and  for  the  help,  laboratory,  and  some  bed- 
rooms for  the  help.  There  are  two  wide,  easy  staircases  enclosed  with  fireproof 
wall  and  fireproof  doors  and  with  outside  doors  at  the  bottom  of  each.  There  is 
also  another  staircase  at  the  extreme  end  of  the  large  ward  so  that  the  building 
is  unusually  well  provided  with  means  of  egress. 

TORRINGTON'S  NEWSPAPERS THE  REGISTER 

The  Torrington  Register  is  one  of  the  leading  papers  in  the  Naugatuck  valley 
and  its  weekly  edition  is  the  oldest  newspaper  in  the  borough.  Its  first  issue 
appeared  August  8,  1874  with  Harry  Bolton  as  editor.  He  disposed  of  it  in 
1877  to  Charles  James,  of  the  Millerton  (New  York)  Telegram  and  he  in  1880 
sold  it  to  E.  A.  Hayes,  of  the  Southington  (Connecticut)  Phoenix.  In  1882  Henry 
M.  White,  of  Northampton,  Massachusetts,  bought  a  half  interest,  later  taking- 
over  the  entire  property.  Until  1889  it  was  conducted  as  a  weekly  and  as  the 
town  had  grown  by  leaps  there  was  a  general  demand  for  a  daily,  and  this  was 
then  started,  the  weekly  also  continuing  to  appear  regularly.  In  1889  Mr.  White 
erected  a  two  story  building  on  Water  Street  and  the  papers  were  issued  from  this 
location  until  1905  when  its  present  large  and  splendidly-equipped  building  was 
put  up.  On  July  8,  1898  the  present  corporation  was  formed  and  a  small  daily 
called  the  Item  which  had  been  run  for  a  few  months  was  merged  with  the 
Register  which  then  became  the  property  of  its  present  stockholders.  In  1913 
and  19 1 4  the  building  was  enlarged,  and  the  company  now  owns  one  of  the  best 
newspaper  equipments  in  the  State.  The  Register  is  issued  as  an  eight  to  sixteen 
page  paper.  In  politics  it  is  independent.  The  officers  of  the  company  are: 
Edward  H.  Hotchkiss,  president;  Thomas  \Y.  Bryant,  vice  president;  James  A. 
Doughty,  secretary  and  treasurer ;  directors.,  Geo.  W.  Peterson ;  Frederick  W. 
Fuessenich;  John  W.  Alvard  and  Elisha  Steele. 

TORRIXGTOX   NEWS 

The  Torrington  News,  published  by  the  News  Publishing  Company,  Inc., 
issued  its  first  number  containing  eight  pages  on  April  17,  1916.  That  there  was  a 
demand  for  the  paper  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  fifteen  hundred  paid-in-advance 
subscriptions  were  secured  before  the  machinery  was  installed.  Since  July,  1916, 
the  paper  has  made  a  remarkable  advance  in  regard  to  its  appearance,  its  adver- 
tisers' list  and  its  circulation.  On  May  22,  1917,  the  News  removed  to  the  new 
Weston  block,  No.  120  Water  Street.  It  began  as  a  one  cent  paper,  but  changed  its 
price  on  June  11,  1917,  to  two  cents.  Its  present  officers  are:  president.  S.  Carl 
Fischer;  secretary,  Mrs.  James  W.  Connell ;  treasurer,  James  W.  Connell. 

Vol.  1—26 


402      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

torrington's  elks  club  house 

Torrington,  on  March  i,  1916,  opened  its  new  Elks  Club  House.  The  build- 
ino-  is  two  stories  high  with  mezzanine  floor  and  basement.  The  exterior  is  of 
red  tapestry  brick  with  steps,  copings  and  other  trimmings  of  marble.  The 
scheme  of  ornamentation  is  Colonial.  Over  the  central  opening  on  the  second 
story  entablature  is  "B.  P.  O.  Elks  372."  The  cornice  is  of  old  Doric  style  and 
the  parapet  above  has  an  ornamented  clock  face  indicating  11  o'clock.  The  win- 
dows are  in  keeping  with  the  Colonial  style  and  have  small  panes. 

The  basement  extends  under  the  entire  main  part  of  the  building  and  in  it 
are  the  grill  room,  buffet,  three  bowling  alleys,  kitchen,  toilet  and  dressing  rooms 
with  lockers,  and  baths  with  shower  attachments. 

On  the  first  floor  the  front  doors  open  into  a  lobby  extending  to  the  main 
staircase.  To  the  right  of  the  entrance  is  the  secretary's  office  with  vault  for  the 
storage  of  valuables,  and  to  the  left  is  a  reception  room.  The  entrances  to  the 
smoking  and  billiard  rooms  are  on  each  side  of  the  staircase. 

On  the  second  floor  are  social  and  writing  rooms,  a  ladies'  parlor  and  the 
lodge  room.  The  latter  occupies  the  entire  rear  part  of  this  floor.  On  the  mez- 
zanine floor  are  seven  excellently  arranged  bedrooms,  with  hot  and  cold  running 
water  in  each  one.  Baths  and  the  entrance  to  the  gallery  of  the  lodge  room  are 
also  on  this  floor. 

torrington's  parks 

Coe  Memorial  Park,  which  was  the  homestead  of  Lyman  Wetmore  Coe  and 
his  wife,  Eliza  Seymour  Coe,  has  been  given  in  the  memory  of  their  parents,  by 
their  children,  to  the  Town  of  Torrington.  The  artistic,  rough-hewn  boulder 
which  bears  a  suitable  inscription  of  the  gift  was  unveiled  June  1,  1909.  It  is 
in  the  heart  of  the  borough  and  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  the  smaller  parks 
of  New  England. 

John  F.  Alvord  has  just  given  the  town  forty-five  acres  as  the  site  for  a  park. 
This  is  \]/2  miles  north  of  Torrington,  on  the  trolley  line.     It  is  yet  to  be  laid  out. 

HISTORY    OF   TORRINGTON'S    CEMETERIES 

Hillside  Cemetery,  in  which  the  Alvord  Memorial  Mortuary  Chapel  has  been 
erected,  is  situated  on  a  hill  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  town.  The  cemetery 
is  sixty-four  acres  in  area. 

This  cemetery  came  into  being  eleven  years  ago,  and  was  intended  to  sup- 
plant the  old  Center  Cemetery  as  a  future  burial  place  for  the  dead.  Center 
Cemetery  had  become  full,  or  practically  so;  leading  men  of  the  town  foresaw  a 
time  when  another  burial  place  would  be  absolutely  necessary,  and  they  began  to 
plan  for  such  an  eventuality  with  the  result  that  Hillside  Cemetery  was  provided. 

Center  Cemetery,  in  the  heart  of  the  borough,  was  established  in  the  early 
days  of  Wolcottville,  and  no  one  ever  dreamed  that  the  village  would  grow  and 
expand  to  its  present  proportions.  This  cemetery  was  controlled  by  the  Wolcott- 
ville School  Society. 

The  rapid  growth  of  the  town  in  the  twenty  years  from  1885  to  1905  caused 
an  unexpected  demand  for  plots,  and  the  desirable  burial  sites  were  nearly 
exhausted,  and  no  other  suitable  land  adjoining  was  available. 

In  the  spring  of  1906  the  question  of  some  provision  for  the  future  became 
more  pressing  and  among  those  who  were  active  in  an  effort  to  solve  the  prob- 


TORRINUTON  LODGE,    NO.  372,  B.  P.  O.  E. 


WATKkr.l'RY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  403 

lem,  and  whose  faithful  and  zealous  work  was  regarded,  should  he  mentioned 
the  following  citizens:  Orsamus  R.  Fyler,  Isaac  W.  Brooks,  Robert  C.  Swayze, 
John  F.  Alvord,  James  A.  Doughty,  Luther  G.  Turner,  Edward  H.  Hotchkiss, 
Charles  H.  Alvord,  Frederick  F.  Fuessenich,  Elisha  J.  Steele,  Frank  M.  Travis 
and  Willard  A.  Rorahack. 

The  prohlem  of  finding  available  land  within  proper  distance  of  the  borough, 
combining  the  qualifications  necessary  for  a  cemetery  site  in  area,  drainage, 
nature  of  soil  and  reasonable  freedom  from  rock  was  one  that  required  much 
study  and  investigation.  Various  sites  were  suggested,  which,  because  of  failure 
to  meet  the  conditions  required  in  one  or  more  particulars,  were  rejected. 

The  A.  P.  Hine  property,  on  the  hill  overlooking  the  town  from  the  south, 
was  first  suggested  by  James  A.  Doughty  at  a  meeting  held  June  27,  1906.  Sound- 
ings were  made  which  indicated  the  suitability  of  the  ground  for  burial  purposes, 
and  the  location,  with  many  natural  advantages,  commended  itself  to  the  judg- 
ment of  the  men  especially  interested.  A  canvass  to  secure  the  money  with 
which  to  purchase  and  improve  the  property  was  started,  but  the  progress  was 
slow  almost  to  the  point  of  discouragement. 

At  a  meeting  held  September  15,  1906,  a  generous  offer  was  received  from 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  F.  Migeon  to  purchase  and  deed  to  an  association  formed  for 
the  purpose  of  procuring  and  establishing  Hillside  Cemetery  the  land  south  of 
the  borough  known  as  the  Hine  tract,  and  to  erect  a  suitable  entrance  and  gate- 
way for  that  portion  which  the  association  should  decide  to  lay  out  and  improve, 
provided  that  a  sufficient  sum  of  money,  the  amount  to  be  determined  by  the 
association,  be  raised  for  the  purpose  of  improving  and  keeping  up  this  tract. 

Lnder  the  inspiration  of  this  gift,  the  work  of  raising  the  necessary  money 
went  forward  rapidly,  and  on  December  28,  1906,  announcement  was  made  that 
the  required  fund  had  been  subscribed. 

It  was  laid  out  by  Olmsted  Brothers,  the  famous  landscape  architects  of 
Boston. 

torrington's  borough  history 

Since  its  organization  as  a  borough  in  1887,  Torrington  has  had  nine  war- 
dens: Henry  J.  Hendey,  1887;  Lyman  W.  Coe,  1888-1889;  Walter  S.  Lewis, 
1890;  James  Alldis,  1891-1897;  James  A.  Doughty,  1898-1902;  George  D.  Work- 
man, 1903-1904;  William  H.  Dayton,  1905-1911  ;  Russell  C.  Blakeslee,  1912-1915; 
Frank  E.  Coe,  1916-1917. 

The  following  table  shows  the  growth  of  the  Grand  List  of  the  Borough  of 
Torrington : 

1892 $3,269,991.00  1905 $6,417,470.00 

1893 3,412,584.00  1906 6.656.409.00 

1894 3,588,249.00  1907 8.316,400.00 

1895 3,762,079.00  1908 8,316.400.00 

1896 3,929,113.00  1909 9,203,425.00 

1897 4,479,206.00  1910 9,374,057.00 

1898 4,903,227.00  I9T  T 10,014,263.00 

1899 5,279,609.00  1912 10,182,332.00 

I900 5,886,566.00  1913 14,221,592.00 

I90I 6,109,693.00  I9I4 14,626,791.00 

I902 5.975-592O0  1915 I4,739,99I-00 

I9O3 6,016,663.00  I9l6 15,020,875.00 

I9O4 6,214,765.00  1917 I5,8l4,214.00 


404      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

Following  is  its  pavement  record  since  1906  up  to  January  1,  1917: 

Street  Pavement  Year  Sq.  Yard  Cost 

South  Main Tarvia 1913 2,053.00         $  1,731.91 

South  Main Amiesite 1916 3,995.00  6,098.18 

Water Tarvia 1909 1,872.00  1,651.28 

Water Tarvia 1910 1,805.00  1,651.57 

Litchfield Tarvia 1913 944-22  985-47 


Totals 10,669.22         $12,1 18.41 

Plans  for  a  $35,000  sewage  disposal  plant  are  now  under  consideration. 

There  are  now  in  use  substantially  five  miles  of  storm  sewers.  The  fire  depart- 
ment inventory  shows  an  equipment  valued  at  approximately  seventy-five  thou- 
sand dollars,  with  160  hydrants  available  and  nearly  fifty  fire  alarm  boxes. 

The  present  "City  Hall,"  which  is  so-called  in  the  hope  that  Torrington  will 
soon  be  incorporated  as  a  city,  was  first  used  in  1899.  Previous  to  1865  the  meet- 
ings were  held  in  the  churches. 

In  1865  the  old  Methodist  Meeting-house  was  purchased  and  altered  into  a 
Town  Hall. 

The  borough  officers  on  January  1,  1917,  were:  Warden,  Frank  E.  Coe ; 
burgesses.  Mahlon  S.  Foley,  Frederick  H.  Baldwin,  John  DeMichiel,  Howard  J. 
Castle,  Harry  Vaill  and  Constant  Bouillon ;  clerk,  Carl  B.  Ekvall ;  treasurer,  John 
H.  Seaton ;  borough  sheriff,  Wilf ord  A.  Sears  ;  collector,  Patrick  Phalen  ;  auditors, 
Henry  J.  Wylie,  Dennie  Hildreth ;  health  officer,  Dr.  Elias  Pratt ;  borough  engi- 
neer. Charles  A.  Patterson ;  superintendent  of  streets,  Harry  I.  Holcomb ;  chief 
of  police,  William  E.  Nevin ;  captain  of  police,  Nicholas  Calabrese ;  judge  of 
Borough  Court,  Bernard  E.  Higgins  ;  prosecuting  attorney,  Thomas  J.  Wall ;  judge 
of  Probate  Court,  Wiltard  A.  Roraback ;  chief  engineer,  Fire  Department,  E.  J. 
Kelley. 

The  town  officers  are :  Selectmen,  Charles  S.  Newcomb,  Francis  N.  Hopkins, 
Peter  J.  Cavanaugh  ;  assessors,  Louis  Longhi,  George  H.  Atkins,  Charles  W.  Volk- 
man ;  town  clerk,  Wm.  A.  Gleeson  ;  town  treasurer,  John  N.  Brooks. 


o 
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CO 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 
WINSTED  IN  THE  HILLS 

ITS  HISTORY   FROM   COLONIAL  DAYS WINSTED  BOROUGH — POLICE  AND  FIRE  DEPART- 
MENTS—  LIGHTING  —  SCHOOLS PUBLIC         LIBRARY HOSPITAL CHURCHES 

NEWSPAPERS ITS  INDUSTRIES BANKS CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE Y.  M.  C.  A. 

WINSTED  CLUB. 

Winsted,  situated  at  the  head  of  the  Naugatuck  Valley,  at  an  elevation  of 
1,000  feet,  amid  the  picturesque  hills  of  Litchfield  County,  is  one  of  those  thrifty, 
progressive  manufacturing  towns  for  which  New  England  is  noted.  Its  site  is  in 
many  respects  an  ideal  one.  It  is  at  the  northern  terminus  of  the  Naugatuck 
division  of  the  New  York,  New  Haven  and  Hartford  railroad, — three  hours'  ride 
from  New  York  City,  and  less  than  two  hours  from  Waterbury,  Bridgeport,  and 
New  Haven.  Winsted  is  the  natural  gateway  to  northwestern  Connecticut  and 
the  Berkshire  hills,  and  is  the  trading  center  for  over  a  score  of  towns  and  villages, 
having  a  population  of  30,000  people. 

The  adjoining  town  on  the  west  is  Norfolk,  which  is  noted  for  its  beautiful- 
country  estates  and  villas. 

A  trolley  line  connects  Winsted  with  Torrington,  ten  miles  dowm  the  valley, 
and  it  is  expected  that  in  the  future  the  link  between  Torrington  and  Thomaston 
will  be  built,  thus  giving  Winsted  trolley  connections  with  the  rest  of  the  Con- 
necticut Company's  trolley  system. 

There  are  three  stage  routes  leading  into  Winsted,  one  from  Montville,  Mass., 
via  New  Boston,  Mass.,  Colebrook  River,  Robertsville  and  Riverton ;  a  second 
from  Sandisfield,  Mass.,  via  South  Sandisfield,  Mass.,  North  Colebrook  and 
Colebrook,  and  the  third  from  Winchester  Center. 

Winsted  is  an  ideal  manufacturing  town.  Mad  river,  a  magnificent  stream 
of  water,  comes  tumbling  down  the  gorges  and  uniting  with  the  overflow  from 
Highland  Lake,  which  forms  a  great  reservoir  of  489  acres,  circles  through  the 
town,  affording  many  valuable  water  privileges.  There  are  over  twenty-five 
going  concerns,  turning  out  a  surprisingly  large  variety  of  products,  among 
which  are  clocks  and  regulators,  brass,  steel  and  iron  pins,  hair  pins  and  clips, 
men's  hosiery,  underwear,  coffin  hardware  and  undertakers'  materials,  upholstery 
hardware,  house  trimmings,  electric  and  gas  portables  and  fixtures,  bronzes,  art 
glass  domes  and  shades,  lamps,  candelabras,  ink  stands,  pocket  cutlery,  chisels, 
drawing  knives,  gauges,  scythes,  hay  and  corn  knives,  cranes,  lifts,  derricks,  bolts, 
milling  and  other  machine  tools,  special  machinery,  lumber,  sash  doors,  blinds, 
spool  and  embroidery  silk,  piano  stools,  chairs,  sheet  brass  and  copper  goods 
numbering  over  3,000  articles,  etc.  The  splendid  railroad  connections  permit 
quick  shipments  to  all  points. 

A  superb  water  system  constructed  at  great  expense  and  owned  by  the  town 
has  been  in  use  for  years.  The  town  now  has  a  modern  sewer  system  and  has 
during  the  past  year  installed  a  model  garbage  collection  plant.  There  are 
efficient  fire  and  police  departments.  There  are  many  miles  of  excellent  side- 
walks and  all  the  principal  streets  are  macadamized  as  well  as  the  main  roads 

405 


406  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

leading  into  town,  totaling  about  fifteen  miles.  Winsted  has  just  finished  laying 
about  one  and  one-half  miles  of  a  Warrenite  (asphaltic)  road.  Over  $120,000  has 
been  expended,  mostly  by  the  state,  in  the  improvement  of  the  four  principal  roads 
leading  respectively  to  Norfolk,  Colebrook  River,  New  Hartford  and  Torrington. 

Winchester  is  the  town  with  which  the  borough  has  recently  been  merged,  and 
connected  with  the  town  building  is  the  courthouse,  where  the  greater  part  of  the 
court  business  of  the  county  is  done.  There  are  five  schools  and  some  beautiful 
churches,  and  five  flourishing  hotels  whose  reputation  for  excellent  service  extends 
far  beyond  the  limits  of  the  state.  There  is  a  $30,000  theatre,  two  national  banks 
having  capital,  surplus  and  undivided  profits  of  over  $600,000,  and  deposits  of 
over  a  million,  and  two  savings  banks  with  over  $4,000,000  deposits. 

Winsted  has  been  favored  in  its  public  institutions,  many  of  the  benefactors 
having  been  lavish  in  their  gifts.  The  Gilbert  School  has  an  endowment  of 
nearly  $800,000,  the  William  L.  Gilbert  Home  for  friendless  children  an  endow- 
ment of  nearly  $650,000  and  the  Litchfield  County  Hospital  an  endowment  of 
nearly  $160,000,  all  having  ample  buildings  and  grounds  and  first-class  equipment 
throughout.  There  are  two  fine  free  libraries  and  a  centrally  located,  new, 
845,000  Y.  M.  C.  A.  building. 

The  business  blocks  have  an  imposing  appearance.  The  Hotel  Winchester 
block  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  about  $100,000  and  the  Hurlbut  Bank  building 
cost  $40,000;  then  there  are  the  Camp,  Beardsley,  Wetmore  and  Winsted  Real 
Estate  Co.'s  blocks  which  give  Winsted  a  business-like  appearance.  The  factories 
are  nearly  all  of  brick  construction.  The  New  England  Pin  Co.  greatly  enlarged 
its  buildings  in  191 3.  The  Winsted  Hosiery  Co.  also  spent  $25,000  in  additions. 
During  1916  the  Winsted  Edge  Tool  Works  and  the  Fitzgerald  Manufacturing 
plant,  both  of  which  were  damaged  by  fire,  have  been  completely  rebuilt. 

There  are  two  public  parks  within  the  borough,  one  at  the  east  end  with 
soldiers'  monument  and  memorial  fountain ;  the  other,  Memorial  park,  on  the 
crown  of  the  hill  in  the  west  portion  of  the  borough,  has  a  commanding  view  and 
is  graced  by  the  beautiful  memorial  tower,  sixty  feet  high.  There  is  a  fine  athletic 
field  connected  with  the  Gilbert  school  with  covered  grandstand,  bleachers,  and 
dressing  rooms.  There  are  three  cemeteries  in  the  borough  and  all  are  well 
cared  for.  Forest  View  cemetery  is  situated  upon  a  sand  knoll  and  commands 
a  charming  view  up  and  down  the  river  valley. 

ITS    HISTORY    FROM    COLONIAL  DAYS 

The  land  lying  within  the  town  of  Winchester,  of  which  Winsted  is  now  an 
integral  part,  was  a  part  of  that  tract  known  225  years  ago  as  the  "western  lands." 
Before  1686  it  was  owned  by  the  Connecticut  colony.  When  it  was  learned  that 
Sir  Edmund  Andros  had  arrived  at  Boston  bearing  the  authority  of  the  crown 
to  revoke  the  colonial  charter  of  Connecticut  and  to  assume  the  government,  the 
general  court  fearing  the  unoccupied  lands  of  the  colony  would  be  sequestered 
by  the  haughty  Andros,  met  in  January,  1686,  and  granted  to  the  towns  of  Hart- 
ford and  Windsor,  "those  lands  on  the  north  of  Woodbury  and  Matatock,  and  on 
the  west  of  Farmington  and  Simsbury  to  the  Massachusetts  line  north,  and  to 
run  west  to  Housatunnuck  river  (provided  it  be  not,  or  part  of  it,  formerly 
granted  to  any  particular  persons),  to  make  a  plantation  or  villages  thereon." 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  charter  was  never  surrendered  to  Andros  and 
upon  his  flight  in  1680,  after  it  was  learned  that  King  James  II  had  been  deposed 
and  William  and  Mary  had  succeeded  to  the  British  throne,  the  charter  govern- 
ment was  resumed. 


OLDEST  HOUSE  IN  WTNSTED 
Built  bv  David  Austin  about  1771 


iim;ij;v  tavern  oe  union  eotel,  west  winsted 

Torn  down  about    L876.     Stood  just   west   of  present    llurllmt  National  Bank 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  407 

Though  their  title  was  defective,  the  towns  of  Hartford  and  Windsor  did  not 
propose  to  give  up  their  claims  to  the  tract  of  land  hastily  granted  to  .them  in  the 
emergency  and  twenty-two  years  after  the  grant  was  made  a  committee  was 
appointed  to  make  a  survey. 

In  order  to  more  fully  establish  their  rights,  steps  were  taken  by  the  towns 
in  1715  to  lay  out  a  town  in  the  tract  and  the  town  of  Litchfield  was  laid  out 
about  1717.  Upon  its  being  found  that  residents  of  Farmington  had  secured 
Indian  titles  to  a  portion  of  the  tract,  a  compromise  was  made  with  them.  After 
the  land  within  the  new  town  of  Litchfield  had  been  disposed  of  to  settlers,  a 
committee  was  appointed  to  lay  out  a  new  township  north  of  that.  The  com- 
mittee's report  was  accepted  in  1723,  the  new  town  embracing  the  east  side  of 
Cornwall,  the  whole  of  Goshen,  the  west  half  of  Torrington  and  the  southwest 
corner  of  Winchester. 

The  general  assembly  seems  to  have  awakened  to  the  situation  at  this  time, 
for  at  the  spring  session  in  that  year  the  king's  attorney  for  New  Haven  county 
was  directed  to  prosecute  the  trespassers  in  the  name  of  the  governor,  and  the 
company  and  five  members  of  the  committee  appointed  to  dispose  of  the  land 
were  arrested  and  prosecuted. 

As  a  result  of  the  controversy,  the  general  assembly  in  the  October  session, 
1724,  appointed  a  committee  to  investigate  the  claims  of  Hartford  and  Windsor 
and  upon  the  committee's  report,  wishing  to  preserve  the  peace  and  to  have  the 
lands  settled  as  expeditiously  as  possible,  the  general  assembly  at  the  May  session, 
1726,  decided  that  the  lands  in  controversy  should  be  divided  between  the  colony 
and  the  towns.  The  line  of  division  coincided  with  the  dividing  line  between 
Colebrook,  Winchester  and  Torrington  on  the  east,  and  Goshen  and  Norfolk  on 
the  west,  and  the  colony  took  the  western  section  and  the  towns  the  eastern.  The 
territory  conceded  to  Hartford  and  Windsor  embraced  the  towns  of  Colebrook, 
Hartland,  Winchester,  Barkhanisted,  Torrington,  New  Hartford,  Harwinton  and 
Litchfield,  making  an  area  of  about  326,806  acres,  while  there  was  reserved  in  the 
colony  the  land  embraced  in  the  towns  of  Canaan,  North  Canaan,  Norfolk,  Corn- 
wall, Goshen,  Warren  and  about  two-thirds  of  Kent,  making  an  area  of  about 
120,000  acres. 

The  lands  were  next  surveyed  and  divided  into  townships  and  on  February 
it,  1732,  the  towns  of  Hartford  and  Windsor  executed  deeds  of  partition  by 
which  the  inhabitants  of  Hartford  became  the  owners  of  Hartland,  Winchester, 
New  Hartford  and  the  eastern  half  of  Harwinton  and  the  inhabitants  of  Windsor 
had  Colebrook,  Barkhamsted,  Torrington  and  the  western  half  of  Harwinton. 
A  law  was  passed  by  .the  legislature  providing  for  the  subdivision  of  each  of  the 
towns  among  the  taxable  inhabitants,  by  assigning  to  each  his  whole  interest  in 
one  or  another  of  the  townships.  The  land-owners  of  each  township  were  incor- 
porated as  proprietors,  with  the  power  to  allot  to  each  his  pro  rata  share  accord- 
ing to  the  taxable  lists  of  1720. 

The  oldest  conveyance  of  lands  recorded  in  this  town  is  dated  November  28, 
1729,  by  which  John  Kilbourn  of  Hartford  conveyed  to  Jonathan  and  David 
Hills  of  Hartford  all  his  rights,  title  share  and  interest  in  and  to  a  large  tract  of 
land  commonly  known  as  the  "western  lands"  belonging  to  the  towns  of  Hartford 
and  Windsor. 

On  May  14,  T744,  the  106  proprietors  of  Winchester  were  called  together 
and  organized,  William  Pitkin  being  chosen  moderator  and  Thomas  Seymour 
clerk  and  register  of  deeds.  Other  meetings  were  held  relative  to  the  division 
of  the  township  in  1750.  1751,  1753.  1756,  1757  and  1758.  During  the  twenty- 
nine  years  that  the  Hartford  proprietors  took  to  consummate  a  plan  of  division, 


408  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

many  of  the  owners  sold  their  undivided  rights,  giving  deeds  for  the  same. 
Caleb  Beach  of  Goshen  secured  one  of  these  undivided  rights  by  deed  of  May  21, 
1750,  and  a  short  time  afterwards,  believing,  evidently,  that  a  division  of  the 
land  would  not  take  place  for  some  time,  he  appropriated  a  small  tract  on  the 
east  side  of  the  Hall  Meadow  road  about  forty  rods  east  of  the  Goshen  line  and 
a  half  mile  north  of  the  Torrington  line  and  erected  there  the  first  dwelling  house 
in  the  town. 

Settlements  were  made  in  Goshen,  Norfolk  and  Canaan  before  the  allotments 
were  made  in  Winchester,  and  a  trail  was  used  to  reach  them  passing  through 
New  Hartford  across  the  northeast  corner  of  Winchester  and  the  southwestern 
part  of  Colebrook  to  Norfolk  Center.  It  is  not  definitely  known  just  where  it  was 
located.  It  is  believed  to  have  been  the  first  to  have  pierced  the  town  and  to  have 
been  traveled  for  twenty  years.  Because  of  a  demand  for  a  better  road  both  for 
settlers  and  for  the  "accommodation  and  benefit  of  his  Majesty's  subjects  and 
especially  in  time  of  war,  for  travelling  or  marching  either  from  the  central  or 
eastern  parts  of  the  colony"  towards  Albany,  the  general  assembly  in  1758  ap- 
pointed a  committee  to  explore  and  find  out  a  better  way.  As  a  result  a  new 
road  known  as  the  "old  north  road"  was  built  within  the  next  three  or  four  years. 
Up  to  1800  this  was  the  principal  thoroughfare  of  the  colony  in  the  direction 
of  Albany.  It  passed  over  Wallins  hill  by  the  schoolhouse  down  to  Still  river  by 
Rollin  Wilson's,  then  up  Smith  hill  and  by  the  Rowley  pond  to  Colebrook.  It  is 
said  that  "continental  troops  passed  over  it  for  frontier  service,"  among  the  num- 
ber being  Col.  Ethan  Allen,  and  that  "detachments  of  Burgoyne's  army,  as  prison- 
ers of  war,  marched  over  it  to  the  quarters  assigned  them."  Another  trail 
through  the  township  was  the  "old  south  road,"  passing  from  Burrville  up  by 
Landlord  Matt's  tavern  on  to  the  south  part  of  Norfolk. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  proprietors  January,  1758,  a  committee  was  appointed 
to  draw  lots  to  determine  the  order  in  which  the  land  should  be  set  off  to  them. 

The  first  census  of  the  colony  taken  in  1756  gives  the  population  of  Winchester 
as  24.  The  largest  town  in  the  county  was  Woodbury,  with  2,911,  more  than  twice 
that  of  any  other  town.  The  next  census  was  taken  in  1774,  and  gave  Win- 
chester 327  whites  and  12  blacks.  Woodbury  then  had  5,224  whites  and  89  blacks. 
Westmoreland  had  1,922.  This  was  one  of  the  towns  of  Litchfield  county  and 
comprised  the  whole  of  the  valley  of  Wyoming,  Pennsylvania. 

Under  an  act  of  incorporation,  the  first  Ecclesiastical  society  meeting  was 
held  June  29th,  1768,  and  organization  was  perfected. 

The  early  records  of  the  society  are  extremely  interesting.  Services  were  held 
at  John  Hill's  house,  near  the  Hurlbut  cemetery.  Some  time  during  the  year  1769 
the  first  meeting  house  was  erected  on  the  west  side  of  a  road  which  was  discon- 
tinued long  ago,  near  the  Luther  Bronson  place.  It  was  24x30  feet,  with  nine- 
foot  posts  supported  by  log  piers  and  was  unfinished  inside.  The  steps  were 
hewn  out  of  a  log  and  an  outside  stairway  led  to  the  second  floor,  which  was 
used  as  a  gallery.  Services  were  held  there  for  twenty  years.  There  was  no 
heating  apparatus  except  the  "foot  stoves  of  the  women,  and  the  sound  doctrine 
of  the  minister." 

The  first  town  meeting  under  an  act  of  incorporation  was  held  July  22nd,  1771. 
The  record  of  it  is  as  follows: 

"At  a  town  meeting  of  the  Inhabitants  of  Winchester,  lawfully  assembled  on 
Monday,  the  22nd  day  of  July,  1771. 

"Warren  Gibbs  chosen  Moderator  of  sd.  meeting. 

"Eliphaz  Alvord  chosen  Town  Clerk  and  sworn. 

"Jonathan  Alvord  and  Seth  Hills,  and  Samuel  Wetmore,  Jr.,  chosen  Towns- 
men. 


STONE  CHIMNEY  ON  SITE  OF  FIRST  HOUSE  BUILT  IN  WINCHESTER.  1756 


FIRST  FRAME  HOUSE  IN  WINCHESTER 
Built  by  Caleb  Beach,  1756 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  409 

"Robert  Mackune  chosen  Treasurer. 

"Warham  Gibbs  chosen  Constable. 

"Abraham  Filley  chosen  Grand  Jury  Man. 

"Oliver  Coe  and  Noah  Gleason  and  David  Goff  chosen  Surveyors  of  High- 
ways. 

"Josiah  Averit  and  Joseph  Hoskin  chosen  Fence  Viewers. 

"Robert  Mackune  chosen  Leather  Sealer. 

"Adam  Mott  and  Beroni  Hills  chosen  Tything  Men. 

"Noted,  that  David  Austin's  cowyard  be  a  pound  for  the  present. 

"Voted,  that  a  Maple  tree  near  the  meeting-house  shall  be  a  sign-post. 

"David  Austin  chosen  key-keeper. 

"Voted,  that  the  Annual  Town  Meeting  in  this  town  shall  be  on  the  first 
Monday  of  December,  at  nine  of  the  clock  in  the  morning  at  the  Meeting  House 
of  said  Town,  and  that  the  selectmen  shall  set  up  a  notification  on  the  sign-post 
twelve  days  before  the  said  first  Monday  for  sd.  meeting. 

"Test,  Eliphaz  Alvord,  town  clerk." 

Winchester  men  had  an  honorable  part  in  the  revolutionary  war.  The  first 
reference  to  it  in  the  town  records  was  made  in  the  annual  town  meeting  of  1775, 
when  it  was  voted  "that  the  troopers  be  freed  from  paying  anything  for  their 
colors,"  and  "to  raise  two-pence  half-penny  on  the  list  of  1775  to  purchase  a  town 
stock  of  powder  and  lead,  and  also  to  pay  other  necessary  charges  arising  in  the 
town." 

Seventeen  soldiers  from  this  town  went  to  Ticonderoga  in  1775  to  Captain 
Sedgwick's  company,  Colonel  Hinnan's  regiment ;  two  marched  to  the  relief  of 
Boston  on  the  Lexington  alarm,  and  so  on.  It  would  seem  that  about  all  the  men 
in  the  town  enlisted  at  one  time  or  another  during  the  war. 

At  the  town  meeting  Jan.  13,  1778,  the  Articles  of  Confederation  were  pre- 
sented for  approval  and  by  vote  on  each  successive  article  were  accepted,  and 
thereupon  the  oath  of  fidelity  to  the  state  of  Connecticut  was  administered  to 
those  present  and  certified  in  the  records.  The  names  of  the  others  who  took  the 
oath  later  were  also  recorded. 

Three  events  of  great  moment  to  this  town  were  the  opening  of  the  Green 
Woods  turnpike,  the  Naugatuck  railroad,  and  the  Connecticut  Western  railroad. 
The  former  occurred  in  1799.  Up  to  that  time  the  only  road  connecting  the  two 
sections  of  the  town  was  one  coming  down  the  hill  from  the  lake  by  Austin's  mill 
as  far  as  Main  Street,  then  northerly  to  Hinsdale  Avenue,  thence  easterly  to 
Still  River,  and  up  Wallin's  hill  to  the  "old  north  road."  This  was  the  only  way 
of  reaching  Hartford  or  any  of  the  eastern  towns  of  the  state,  and  was  a  rough, 
hilly  road  to  travel.  The  only  building  on  the  present  line  of  Main  Street,  from 
Henry  Street  to  Still  River  bridge  were  Higley's  tavern,  where  K.  T.  Sheldon's 
photograph  building  .stands,  the  foundation  of  the  chimney  of  which  is  still  to 
be  seen  there,  and  a  gambrel-roofed  house  on  the  site  of  Mrs.  Moses  Camp's 
residence.  Boyd  says :  "The  opening  of  the  Talcott  mountain  and  Green  Woods 
turnpikes  wras  an  event  as  auspicious  to  our  fathers  as  was  the  opening  of  the 
Naugatuck  railroad  to  their  children  or  as  is  the  majestic  march  of  the  Con- 
necticut Western  railroad  trains  up  the  Norfolk  hills  to  our  present  community." 

Again  Mr.  Boyd  says:  "The  iron  horse  paid  his  first  visit  to  the  Winsted 
depot  Sept.  21,  1849.  The  first  passenger  train  came  up  on  Saturday,  the  22nd, 
and  returned  on  the  following  Monday." 

The  Naugatuck  Railroad  Co.  was  granted  a  charter  in  1845  to  build  a  road 
from  Derby  to  Plymouth.  Upon  receiving  a  bonus  of  $30,000  and  payment  of 
land  damages,  Alfred  Bishop  and  others  had  agreed  to  complete  the  line  to  Water- 


410      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

bury  by  1849.  In  1847  tne  company  was  authorized  to  extend  the  road  to  Winsted, 
which  Mr.  Bishop  agreed  to  do  for  another  bonus  of  $30,000  and  the  right  of 
way.  Citizens  of  Winsted  assumed  half  the  bonus  and  all  the  right  of  way  in 
this  town  and  citizens  of  Torrington  and  Plymouth  the  other  half  of  the  bonus 
and  the  remainder  of  the  right  of  way.  There  was  some  bickering  as  to  whether 
the  station  should  be  at  the  Winsted  park,  the  "flat"  or  in  the  "west  village." 

In  1866  a  charter  was  granted  to  the  Connecticut  Western  Railroad  Co.  with 
power  to  construct  a  road  from  Collinsville  to  the  Massachusetts  line  at  North 
Canaan.  In  1868  the  Dutchess  and  Columbia  Railroad  Company  and  the  Con- 
necticut Western  Railroad  Company  got  a  new  charter  to  build  from  Hartford 
to  Collinsville,  thence  connect  with  the  line  previously  chartered  and  then  by 
diverging  through  North  Canaan  and  Salisbury  to  connect  with  the  Columbia 
and  Dutchess  road.  On  August  22,  1868,  the  town  of  Winchester,  by  a  vote  of 
366  to  66,  voted  a  subscription  to  the  stock  of  the  company  of  five  per  cent  on  its 
grand  list,  amounting  to  $116,000,  and  individual  citizens  of  the  town  subscribed 
for  $74,900  more  of  the  stock.  The  other  towns  followed  Winchester's  example. 
The  first  passenger  train  went  over  the  road  from  Hartford  to  Millerton  and 
returned  Dec.  21,  1871. 

The  rapid  growth  of  Winsted  in  the  early  years  of  its  history  was  due  largely 
to  its  manufactures,  which  increased  and  prospered  largely  because  of  the  splen- 
did water  powrer  that  was  to  be  obtained.  The  first  grist  mill  was  that  of  David 
Austin.  The  second  grist  mill  was  built  on  the  site  of  the  Gilbert  clock  factory, 
about  1776,  by  Elias  Balcomb.  The  saw  mill  also  made  its  appearance  early  in 
the  settlement  of  the  town.  The  first  one  was  operated  by  Deacon  Samuel  Wet- 
more  and  was  near  the  old  meeting-house.  A  vote  was  passed  in  1779  regard- 
ing the  water  privilege  connected  with  it.  Besides  turning  out  lumber,  both  rough 
and  finished,  these  mills  got  out  white  ash  sweeps,  oars,  and  materials  for  ship 
blocks  and  they  were  carried  to  Hartford  for  river  navigation.  Dish  mills  for 
making  wooden  bowls,  trenchers,  and  mortars  became  accessories  to  the  saw  mills. 
It  is  said  there  were  eight  of  these  in  operation  in  the  town  before  1800,  four 
being  on  the  lake  stream.  John  McAlpine  is  spoken  of  as  having  built  a  shop 
in  Winchester  early  in  the  last  century  for  making  scale  boards,  used  for  separat- 
ing cheeses  when  packed  in  casks.  Later  cheese  boxes  were  made  in  the  same 
mill. 

Benjamin  Jenkins  and  James  Boyd  established  the  third  scythe  factory  in 
the  country,  on  Still  River  in  1792.  At  least  four  others  were  built  here  within 
the  next  forty  years,  and  it  became  a  leading  industry  in  the  town.  In  1795 
Jenkins  and  Boyd  erected  the  first  forge  in  Winsted,  on  the  lake.  They  "manu- 
factured refined  bar  iron  from  the  best  quality  of  Old  Salisbury  Ore.  Three 
others  were  erected  in  town  within  a  dozen  years."  This,  with  the  scythe  busi- 
ness, constituted  the  staple  manufacturing  business  of  the  town  until  1840. 

A  machine  for  cutting  shingle  nails  was  operated  by  James  Boyd  for  a 
short  time  in  1808.  Two  years  later  James  Byington  erected  a  nail  factory  near 
the  Winsted  scythe  works  and  for  a  time  during  the  war  of  1812  he  had  more 
men  in  his  employ  than  any  other  factory  in  town. 

I  li/.nr  Hinsdale  established  a  factory  for  making  axes,  near  the  head  of  the 
lake,  in  1804  or  1805. 

1  he  first  wire  factory  in  the  country  was  erected  on  the  west  wing  of  the  clock 
factory  dam  in  1812  by  Samuel  and  Luther  Hoadley  and  James  Boyd. 

There  were  at  least  three  shoemakers  who  did  tanning  in  town  before  1800. 
After  it  was  found  that  hemlock  bark  could  be  used  as  a  substitute  for  oak  bark. 
Col.  Hosea  Hinsdale  and  Col.  James  Shepard  erected  a  large  tannery  at  the  foot 
of  Spencer  Street  in  1802.    Three  or  four  other  tanneries  were  erected  later. 


SOLDIERS'   MEMORIAL  TOWER,  WINSTED 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  411 

Joseph  Piatt  built  the  first  clothing  shop  and  fulling  mill  in  Danbury  quarter 
between  [783  and  17X7.  Daniel  Marshall  was  the  first  clothmaker  in  Winsted. 
He  had  a  shop  and  fulling  mill  on  Lake  Street  before  1794.  A  carding  machine 
was  added  later. 

In  1813  Rockwell  Bros,  began  the  manufacture  of  broadcloths  and  satinets 
there.     Three  other  factories  of  a  similar  nature  were  established  in  town. 

Samuel  and  Luther  Hoadley  and  Riley  Whiting  began  the  manufacture  of 
wooden  clocks  about  1807. 

Two  firms  began  to  make  hand  and  machine  cards  at  the  beginning  of  the 
war  of  1812. 

There  were  four  or  five  shops  for  making  wagons  in  the  early  part  of  the 
last  century  and  others  were  built  later  on. 

A  distillery  was  in  operation  on  Wallins  Street  soon  after  the  close  of  the 
war  of  1812. 

An  oil  mill  was  erected  on  Mad  River,  west  of  Clifton  mill,  by  Bissell  Hins- 
dale about  1816  and  was  operated  for  a  number  of  years. 

Iron  clock  bells  were  manufactured  by  Hoadley  Bros,  about  18 10. 

A  foundry  for  casting  stoves,  plows  and  gears  was  operated  by  Nathaniel 
Gaylord  from  1834  for  twelve  years.  Four  or  five  other  iron  foundries  have  since 
been  established.  There  have  also  been  several  machine  shops.  As  the  middle 
of  the  last  century  was  approached,  many  other  industries  sprang  up,  some  of 
which  are  in  operation  today. 

One  concern  was  in  operation  which  it  is  to  be  regretted  could  not  have  been 
retained,  as  it  is  now  of  immense  proportions.  Boyd  says  of  it:  "The  Borden 
Condensed  Milk  Co.,  consisting  of  Gail  Borden,  Theron  Bronson  and  Elhanan 
\V.  Fyler,  was  organized  in  1863  and  purchased  the  factory  building  near  the 
Xaugatuck  Depot,  now  occupied  by  the  Winsted  Printing  Co.,  in  which  they 
condensed  milk  until  1866,  when,  not  finding  the  location  favorable  for  the  busi- 
ness, the  concern  was  wound  up." 

A  petition  was  made  to  the  general  assembly  in  1786  for  the  incorporation 
of  the  easterly  part  of  Winchester  and  the  part  of  Barkhamsted  west  of  the 
Farmington  River  into  the  town  of  Wrinsted.  The  west  boundary  was  to  be 
Highland  Lake  and  the  second  tier  line  which  extended  just  easterly  of  Coe 
Street.  The  petition  was  continued  to  the  sessions  of  1787  and  1788  and  finally 
rejected.  The  last  attempt  to  divide  the  town  was  made  in  1790  and  proved 
unsuccessful  as  before  and  the  project  was  finally  given  up. 

In  the  Annals  of  Winchester,  Mr.  Boyd  describes  a  visit  he  made  to  Win- 
chester center  at  a  Fourth  of  July  celebration  in  1810  or  181 1.  He  wrote  in  part 
as  follows :  "The  whipping  post  and  stocks,  those  indispensable  pillars  of  New 
England  law  and  order,  stood  on  the  green  near  the  meeting  house.  The  post  did 
extra  duty  as  a  sign-post  on  which  public  notices  were  fastened  and  to  which 
when  occasion  required  the  petty  thief  was  tied  to  receive  from  the  constable  his 
five  or  ten  lashes  'well  laid  on  to  his  naked  back.'  The  'stocks'  were  an  upper  and 
lower  plank,  say  six  feet  long,  eight  inches  wide  and  two  inches  thick,  the  lower 
one  lying  edgewise  near  the  ground,  mortised  at  one  end  into  the  post  and  firmly 
fastened  to  the  ground  at  the  other.  The  upper  plank  was  attached  to  the  post 
at  one  end  by  a  heavy  hinge  so  that  its  lower  edge  came  in  contact  with  the  upper 
edge  of  the  other,  and  they  were  held  together  by  a  hasp  and  padlock  at  their 
outer  ends.  At  the  line  of  junction  of  the  two  planks  were  four  holes,  half  in 
the  upper  and  half  in  the  lower  plank,  about  three  inches  in  diameter,  ranged  at 
suitable  distances  for  receiving  the  ankles  of  two  culprits." 

Winchester's  part  in  the  civil  war  requires  a  volume  to  tell  the  story  of  the 


412      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

bravery,  the  sufferings,  the  sacrifices,  the  successes  and  victories  of  the  honored 
men  who  risked  their  lives  in  the  great  struggle  to  preserve  the  union.  Three 
soldiers'  monuments  in  the  borough  attest  in  a  degree  the  reverence  which  pos- 
terity has  for  those  noble  heroes. 

BEGINNINGS  OF  WINSTED   BOROUGH 

In  order,  it  was  said,  to  secure  an  efficient  fire  organization,  an  application 
was  made  to  the  general  assembly  in  1833  by  a  number  of  inhabitants  of  the 
west  village  for  a  borough  charter,  under  the  name  of  Clifton.  The  section  be- 
tween the  two  villages  of  East  and  West  Winsted  having  been  partially  built  up, 
an  application  was  made  to  the  general  assembly  in  1858  to  repeal  the  defunct 
borough  charter  of  Clifton  and  to  organize  a  new  borough  covering  both  sections, 
to  be  known  as  Winsted.  The  charter  was  granted  in  June  of  that  year,  and  officers 
were  elected  qn  August  2nd  as  follows:  Warden,  William  H.  Phelps;  burgesses, 
Rollin  L.  Beecher,  Edward  Camp,  John  T.  Rockwell,  Charles  Cook,  Charles  B. 
Weed.  lohn  G.  Wetmore ;  treasurer,  John  Hinsdale;  bailiff,  Caleb  P.  Newman. 

The  borough  authorities  went  immediately  to  work.  They  had  a  survey  and 
plan  made  of  all  the  streets  within  the  borough.  The  street  through  the  center 
of  the  "east  village  green"  was  closed  and  parallel  streets  opened  on  the  east  and 
west  sides.  The  intervening  space  was  then  fenced,  graded  and  planted  with  trees 
by  private  subscriptions  under  the  corporate  name  of  "Park  Place"  at  a  cost  of 
about  $2,000.  The  first  sidewalk  ordered  to  be  graded  was  on  the  northerly  and 
easterly  side  of  Main  Street,  from  the  park  to  Spencer  Street,  a  distance  of  a 
mile  and  twenty  rods.  It  was  to  be  rounded  to  a  width  of  five  feet.  Part  of  it 
was  at  first  planked,  and  later  covered  with  concrete  and  the  remainder  flagged. 

THE    BOROUGH    WATER    WORKS 

On  August  30,  1858,  the  warden  and  burgesses  were  instructed  "to  ascertain 
whether  the  borough  has  a  right  to  draw  water  from  Long  Lake." 

As  a  result,  the  general  assembly  at  its  May  session  in  i860  gave  authority 
to  the  borough  to  take  water  from  Long  Lake  or  Little  pond  for  fire  and  other 
purposes  and  to  raise  the  surface  of  the  water  in  the  lake  or  pond  four  feet  above 
the  high  water  mark.  The  water  could  be  taken  only  for  fire  purposes  until  the 
water  had  risen  two  feet  above  the  waste  weirs  as  located  at  that  time  and  the 
outflow  for  manufacturing  purposes  was  not  to  be  wasted  in  greater  quantity  than 
theretofore.  A  permanent  loan  of  $25,000  was  authorized  to  secure  the  rights  of 
flowage,  construct  the  dam,  lay  mains,  etc.  A  provision  was  also  made  for  the 
appointment  of  water  commissioners  and  for  the  establishment  and  collection 
of  water  rents. 

On  August  1,  i860,  Lyman  Case,  John  T.  Rockwell  and  William  L.  Gilbert 
were  elected  water  commissioners  and  they  were  directed  to  make  the  contem- 
plated improvements. 

During  the  administration  of  Dr.  H.  Hungerford  Drake  as  commissioner,  from 
1872  to  1879,  the  bulkhead  was  rebuilt,  the  embankments  strengthened  and  the 
combination  waste  weirs  and  roadway  built  in  place  of  the  bridges.  As  the  years 
went  by,  the  system  was  extended  through  new  streets  about  the  borough. 

In  order  to  improve  Winsted's  water  system  still  further,  on  June  11,  1890, 
William  L.  Gilbert  attached  a  codicil  to  his  will  giving  the  borough  $48,000 
to  tunnel  the  mountain  between  Rugg  Brook  and  Crystal  Lake,  provided  the 
borough  would  construct  proper  dams  and  canals  before  June  11,  1895,  so  as  to 
make  a  reservoir  ai  the  Rugg  Brook  basin  and  greatly  increase  the  outflow. 


MAIN  STREET,  WEST  WINSTED,  is::..  NEAR  PRESENT  Y.  M.  C.  A. 


NEW  Y.  M.  C.  A.  BUILDING,  WINSTED 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK   VALLEY  413 

As  a  result  of  Mr.  Gilbert's  generous  bequest,  at  a  meeting  July  29,  1892,  tbe 
borough  appropriated  $40,000  and  appointed  T.  C.  Richards,  G.  B.  Owen,  Henry 
Gay.  David  Strong,  R.  H.  Moore,  J.  E.  Spaulding,  Edward  Finn,  R.  E.  Holmes, 
E.  1'.  Wilcox,  E.  A.  Nellis  and  H.  H.  Drake  a  committee  to  carry  on  the  work. 
The  sum  of  $35,000  was  also  appropriated  to  raise  Crystal  Lake  ten  feet  and  lay 
water  mains  to  the  borough,  the  latter  work  to  be  done  under  the  supervision  of 
tbe  water  commissioners.  T.  C.  Richards  was  elected  president  of  the  commit- 
tee, I  tenry  Gay  vice  president  and  II.  II.  Drake  secretary.  On  January  31,  1893, 
contracts  were  signed  with  Babcock,  Lary  &  Co.  to  tunnel  the  mountain  and 
construct  Ru^g  Brook  Reservoir  and  tbe  works  connected  therewith.  E.  P.  Wil- 
cox  and  II.  H.  Drake  were  appointed  a  special  committee  to  supervise  the  work. 
The  tunnel  was  constructed  through  solid  rock  about  6  feet  high,  6  feet  wide,  and 
nearly  4,000  feet  long.  The  masonry  dam  at  Rugg  Brook  is  29  feet  high,  29  feet 
thick  at  the  bottom  and  300  feet  long.  Two  earth  dams  were  built,  one  being  20 
feet  high,  112  feet  thick  at  the  base  and  52  feet  long,  the  other  14  feet  high,  168 
feet  long,  75  feet  thick  at  the  base  with  a  masonry  core.  The  masonry  dam 
across  Mad  River  is  14  feet  thick  at  the  bottom  and  168  feet  long.  Crystal  Lake 
was  raised  10  feet  by  a  rubble  masonry  dam  548  feet  long  and  11  feet  thick  at  the 
bottom.  The  surface  of  the  lake  was  increased  in  area  from  96  acres  to  T46  acres 
and  in  cubic  contents  the  lake  was  increased  53,143,200  feet.  On  March  4,  1893, 
tbe  water  ran  over  Rugg  Brook  dam  for  the  first  time  and  four  days  later  it  ran 
through  the  tunnel.  The  water  ran  over  Crystal  Lake  Dam  December  5,  1895, 
and  on  July  20,  189^,  it  was  turned  into  the  new  mains  for  the  first  time. 

By  the  provisions  of  the  revised  charter  of  the  borough  adopted  in  1897,  the 
office  of  water  commissioners  was  abolished  on  the  first  Monday  of  May,  in  that 
year,  and  a  superintendent  of  water  works  elected  in  their  place. 

In  October,  1908,  in  order  to  increase  the  water  supply  in  Crystal  Lake,  the 
dam  was  raised  twelve  inches  and  in  1910,  to  prevent  extravagant  waste,  water 
meters  were  placed  in  the  factories  and  the  places  of  business  of  large  users  of 
water. 

There  are  now  about  twenty-six  miles  of  water  main  laid,  ranging  in  size 
from  twenty-four  inches  down  to  four  inches. 

In  191 5  the  commission  form  of  government  was  adopted,  consolidating  the 
government  of  the  Town  of  Winchester  and  that  of  the  Borough  of  Wrinsted.  In 
1917  these  are  the  board  of  selectmen  in  charge  of  the  affairs  of  the  town: 
Patrick  J.  Darcey  (who  had  been  warden  of  W'insted  for  four  years  prior), 
chairman;  James  J.  Bannon,  Edward  R.  Beckley,  Horace  A.  Hotchkiss,  James  J. 
Walsh  ;  town  clerk,  C.  Wesley  Winslow :  assessors,  Geo.  L.  Foskett,  Francis  Sage, 
Mills  T.  Carter;  registrars  of  voters,  John  J.  Winn,  Felix  Gallagher;  treasurer, 
J.  Albert  Smith;  collector,  John  J.  Burke. 

POLICE  AND   FIRE  DEPARTMHXT 

When  the  town  building  was  erected  in  the  late  '70s,  provision  was  made  for 
a  station  house  in  the  basement,  three  very  strongly  built  cells  being  constructed. 

The  town  court  of  Winchester  having  jurisdiction  of  all  the  criminal  business 
within  the  town  was  established  the  first  of  June.  1899,  thus  doing  away  with 
the  trials  for  criminal  offenses  before  justices -of  peace,  as  had  been  the  custom. 
The  wearing  of  police  uniforms  was  inaugurated  in  1889,  and  the  keeping  of 
police  records  in  May,  1892.  There  are  four  officers  now  on  duty  at  night,  one 
remaining  at  headquarters  from  6  o'clock  P.  M.  until  5  A.  M..  and  three  doing 
patrol  duty  from  6  o'clock  P.  M.  through  the  night,  two  going  off  at  5  o'clock 


414      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

A.  M.  and  one  at  6  o'clock    A.    M.     The    present    superintendent    of    police    is 
Stephen  C.  Wheeler. 

The  Winsted  fire  department,  which  was  first  organized  in  1862,  now  con- 
sists of  four  well  organized  and  equipped  hose  companies,  occupying  commodious 
and  up-to-date  fire  houses  of  brick  construction  in  as  many  different  parts  of  the 
borough,  representing  an  outlay  of  about  thirty-five  thousand  dollars,  a  hook  and 
ladder  company  and  an  engine  company.  Union  Hose  Company  No.  1  is  located 
at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Munro  Streets  in  the  west  end  of  the  borough,  and  has 
the  new  combination  hose  and  chemical  truck.  Winsted  Hose  Company  No.  2, 
Winsted  Hook  and  Ladder  Company  No.  1  and  Winsted  Engine  Company  No.  1 
are  housed  in  the  borough  Building  on  Elm  Street,  in  the  business  center,  and  all 
three  are  equipped  with  horse-drawn  apparatus.  The  chief  of  the  fire  depart- 
ment in  1917  is  Charles  Stone. 

winsted's  sewer  system 

In  1910  Winsted  engaged  the  services  of  Rudolph  Hering,  an  expert  sewerage 
engineer,  and  Joseph  Young  of  New  York  to  lay  out  a  feasible  plan  for  a  sewer 
system.  This,  together  with  a  garbage  collection  system,  is  in  effect  now,  in 
modified  form. 

winsted's  lighting  system 

The  Winsted  Gas  Co.,  which  was  organized  in  1861  and  incorporated  under 
the  laws  of  the  state,  has  the  contract  for  lighting  the  borough  and  also  furnishes 
the  residents  with  gas  and  electricity  for  heating,  lighting  and  power  purposes. 
The  gas  works  are  located  on  Case  Avenue  and  Gay  Street,  as  is  also  the  new 
electric  light  and  power  station.  The  first  electric  light  station  was  built  in  con- 
nection with  the  plant  of  the  Winsted  Edge  Tool  Works,  but  after  two  years,  in 
the  fall  of  1888,  an  electric  station  was  erected  at  Tunxis  Falls,  Robertsville,  and 
since  then  the  current  for  lighting  the  streets  has  been  generated  there. 

HISTORY  OF  WINSTED'S  SCHOOLS 

The  history  of  Winsted's  schools  goes  back  to  December  17,  1773,  when  the 
first  educational  tax  was  passed.  The  district  thus  early  established  was  continued 
until  1909,  and  it  was  not  until  recent  years  that  the  plan  of  the  originators  was 
generally  declared  inadequate.  With  each  district  providing  for  its  own  children, 
however,  it  was  found  that  while  the  schools  within  the  old  borough  had  kept  up 
with  the  times,  those  in  the  farming  districts  had  been  neglected,  and  with  the 
steadily  decreasing  number  of  rural  families,  the  matter  of  giving  such  children 
the  proper  attention  was  each  year  getting  to  be  more  of  a  problem.  Consequently 
the  plan  of  transporting  children  from  one  district  with  poor  accommodations  to 
one  with  ampler  privileges  was  begun  and  met  with  success. 

In  1909  the  town  voted  to  consolidate  the  districts,  and  today  it  would  seem 
that  Winsted  will  stand  among  the  leaders  in  the  way  of  graded  schools.  The 
committee  is  constantly  devising  and  recommending  plans  for  the  improvement 
of  conditions  both  in  the  borough  and  in  the  outlying  districts.  In  191 1  $5,000 
was  appropriated  for  a  new  school  building  at  Winchester,  to  improve  the  school 
facilities  in  that  section. 

Taking  advantage  of  the  provisions  of  the  statute  of  the  public  acts  of  1902, 
the  board  of  school  visitors  on  September  5,  1904,  voted  to  unite  with  the  Town 


MEMORIAL  LIBRARY,  WINSTED 


THE   W.   L.   GILBERT   ^<  EOOL,   WTNSTED 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  415 

of  Norfolk  to  form  a  joint  supervision  district  and  this  arrangement  is  still  in 
effect.  One-half  of  the  sum  paid  to  the  supervisor  is  returned  hy  the  state  and 
as  the  supervisor  spends  two-thirds  of  the  time  in  Winchester,  this  town  hears 
two-thirds  of  the  remaining  expense. 

Improvements  that  have  come  since  the  consolidation  of  the  districts  include 
medical  inspection,  the  regular  employment  of  a  truant  officer,  and  the  holding 
annually  of  appropriate  commencement  exercises. 

The  report  of  the  school  committee  for  the  year  191 6  showed  a  total  of  over 
twenty-two  hundred  children  between  the  ages  of  four  and  sixteen  in  the  town. 
The  superintendent  of  schools  in  1917  is  Frank  E.  Fisk. 

In  addition  to  the  public  schools,  Winsted  has  a  parochial  school  which  is 
maintained  by  St.  Joseph's  Roman  Catholic  Church  without  expense  to  the 
borough.  This  school  is  located  north  of  the  church  on  Oak  Street,  and  is  under 
the  direction  of  the  pastor.  Sisters  of  the  Third  Order  of  St.  Francis  act  as 
teachers.     Upwards  of  four  hundred  children  attend  this  school  regularly. 

The  Gilbert  School, — the  high  school  of  Winsted, — stands  at  the  east  end  of 
Alain  Street,  facing  the  park. 

The  school  was  founded  in  1895  by  the  bequest  of  the  late  William  L.  Gilbert, 
who  for  many  years  was  one  of  the  town's  leading  business  men.  Although  the 
school  is  a  private  institution,  supported  entirely  from  its  own  endowment,  it  is 
entirely  free  to  the  youth  of  Winchester,  the  endowment  left  by  Mr.  Gilbert  being 
fully  ample  to  enable  the  trustees  to  maintain  a  free  school  of  the  very  highest 
character. 

Sixteen  trustees,  holding  office  for  life,  manage  the  school,  and  though  but  a 
few  of  the  original  trustees  survive  at  this  time,  the  permanence  of  the  body  and 
the  slow  changes  in  the  personnel  of  the  trustees  have  made  possible  a  continuance 
of  the  wise  policy,  adopted  at  the  beginning,  of  conducting  a  school  which  should 
be  first  of  all  an  academic  rather  than  a  technical  institution.  W^hile  the  voca- 
tional needs  of  the  students  are  provided  for  in  the  commercial  and  art  manual 
departments  and  more  adequately  met  by  the  course  in  domestic  science,  the 
school's  first  aim  is,  as  it  has  always  been,  to  furnish  its  students  with  the  means 
of  a  liberal  education.  The  academic  department  prepares  for  college  and  for 
general  usefulness  in  and  enjoyment  of  the  intellectual  life,  while  the  technical 
courses  fit  students  definitely  and  adequately  for  the  business  of  the  work-a-day 
world. 

Reviewing  the  life  of  the  school  from  the  time  of  its  organization  to  the 
present  will  recall  to  mind  the  men  who  have  been  influential,  as  trustees,  in  its 
development.  Mr.  Gilbert  named  as  trustees  and  corporators :  Isaac  B.  Wood- 
ruff, Lyman  R.  Norton,  Charles  B.  Hallett,  Judge  Augustus  H.  Fenn,  David 
Strong,  Rufus  E.  Holmes,  Eugene  Potter,  Harvey  L.  Roberts,  George  B.  Owen, 
Charles  J.  York,  Joseph  H.  Norton,  William  L.  Camp,  Winfield  J.  Garvin,  Henry 
Gay,  Dr.  Harvey  B.  Steele,  Theophilus  Baird. 

Very  substantial  buildings  of  pressed  buff  brick  with  marble  trimmings  have 
been  erected,  the  same  architecture  displayed  in  the  original  main  structure  having 
been  followed  in  the  annex  erected  twelve  years  later. 

Among  the  first  duties  devolving  upon  the  trustees,  after  the  school  building 
was  erected  was  the  selection  of  a  principal,  and  after  a  careful  study  of  men  and 
institutions,  Dr.  John  E.  Clarke  was  chosen.  To  Doctor  Clarke's  devotion  and 
faithful  service  the  school  in  a  large  measure  owes  its  enviable  reputation.  He 
retired  in  1908  after  serving  the  school  as  its  principal  for  thirteen  years,  and 
was  succeeded  by  the  present  principal.  Walter  D.  Hood,  who  is  a  graduate  of 
Yale  and  was  superintendent  of  schools  in  Shelton  and  Stratford.     The  present 


416      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

officers  and  directors  of  the  Gilbert  School  are:  President,  C.  J.  York;  vice 
president,  E.  B.  Gaylord ;  secretary  and  treasurer,  H.  L.  Roberts ;  directors, 
Eugene  Potter,  Wilbur  G.  Manchester,  Lester  C.  Strong,  Seymour  W.  Alvord, 
L.  M.  Blake,  J.  G.  Woodruff,  L  W.  Tiffany,  Dr.  W.  S.  Hulbert,  L.  C.  Colt, 
Dr.  Edward  L.  Pratt,  A.  L.  Clark,  Fred  C.  Strong,  Dudley  C.  Vaill. 

THE    WILLIAM    L.    GILBERT    HOME 

The  bronze  tablet  at  the  main  entrance  to  the  Gilbert  home  reads  as  follows : 
"This  building  was  erected  by  William  L.  Gilbert,  long  a  resident  of  Winchester, 
for  the  improvement  of  mankind  by  affording  such  assistance  and  means  of  edu- 
cating the  young  as  will  help  them  become  good  citizens.  A.  D.  1888."  Thus, 
together  with  Mr.  Gilbert's  bequest,  was  made  possible  an  institution  which  is 
doing  a  work  that  few,  even  in  Winsted,  fully  appreciate.  The  home  accommo- 
dates 250  children  and  it  is  necessary  to  turn  away  many  applicants  in  order  to 
keep  to  this  number.  Preference  is  given  to  those  children  whose  guardians  will 
have  difficulty  in  meeting  the  cost  of  similar  care  and  instruction  elsewhere.  It  is 
a  home  where  children  who  are  deprived  of  the  advantages  of  family  life  are  cared 
for  and  educated  at  a  charge  much  below  the  actual  cost.  A  good  idea  of  the 
class  of  children  cared  for  may  be  given  by  quoting  from  a  leaflet  issued  by  the 
home : 

"Children  described  as  follows  will  not  be  admitted:  1.  Those  under  four 
years  of  age.  2.  Those  over  four  years  of  age  who  can  not  talk  well  enough  to 
communicate  their  physical  ills  and  needs.  3.  Those  unable  to  dress  themselves 
with  a  reasonable  amount  of  assistance.  4.  Cripples.  5.  Those  who  are  defective 
mentally.  6.  Those  who  are  afflicted'  with  contagious,  infectious  or  incurable 
diseases.  The  charge  for  board,  clothing  and  schooling  is  $1.50  per  week  for 
each  child.  Any  variation  from  this  charge  will  be  based  upon  a  personal  inves- 
tigation of  the  circumstances  of  the  applicant.  In  cases  where  there  are  sufficient 
means  for  the  child's  support,  but  the  essential  thing  lacking  is  home  care,  the 
charge  may  be  from  $1.50  per  week  up  to  the  actual  cost.  It  is  not  the  purpose 
of  the  institution  to  charge  a  price  below  cost  for  those  whose  parents,  guardians 
or  friends  are  financially  able  to  meet  their  obligations.  This  would  deprive  us  of 
the  means  to  extend  charity  to  needy  and  worthy  cases.  Parents  or  friends  may 
visit  children  at  any  time,  but  are  requested  to  avoid  calling  during  school  hours, 
if  possible." 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  institution  is  not  in  any  sense  correctional.  In  the 
admission  of  children,  no  distinction  is  made  as  to  race,  religion  or  nationality. 
The  only  children  turned  away  when  there  are  vacancies  are  those  whose  previous 
records  are  such  as  to  make  it  probable  that  their  influence  on  the  boys  and  girls 
already  in  the  home  would  be  bad. 

The  endowment  which  enables  the  good  work  to  ?o  on  was  sriven  bv  Mr. 
Gilbert  in  trust  to  the  following  men,  and  passed  into  their  possession  upon  his 
death  twenty  years  ago:  Henry  Gay,  Isaac  B.  Woodruff,  Harvey  B.  Steele, 
Lyman  R.  Norton,  Eugene  Potter,  Harvey  L.  Roberts,  George  B.  Owen,  Charles 
J.  York,  Joseph  H.  Norton,  William  L.  Camp,  T.  Baird  and  W.  J.  Garvin.  These 
men  did  not  assume  active  control  until  Mr.  Gilbert's  death  in  1891.  On  March 
21,  [889,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dwight  S.  Case  took  charge  of  the  home  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Air.  Gilbert  and  on  April  1st  of  the  same  year  the  home  was  opened.  At 
first  the  number  of  children  was  comparatively  small.  The  school  building  was 
built  m  [894,  and  in  H)00  the  number  of  children  had  so  increased  that  more  room 
was  necessary  and  the  east  building  was  constructed. 


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WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  417 

On  December  i,  1909,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Case,  after  over  twenty  years  of  service, 
found  it  necessary  to  lay  down  the  work  because  of  Mrs.  Case's  failing  health. 
Under  their  guidance  the  home  had  grown  from  a  sheltering  place  of  21 
children  on  the  day  that  it  opened  to  one  for  250.  The  home  had  also  been  im- 
proved and  1  leant i tied  until  it  is  now  one  of  the  beauty  spots  of  Winsted. 

On  the  day  that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Case  laid  down  the  work  of  the  home,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Charles  M.  Morse  came  to  Winsted  to  take  up  the  work.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Morse  are  both  graduates  of  the  state  normal  school  at  Cortland,  N.  Y.,  and 
Mr.  Morse  is  a  graduate  of  Yale. 

Among  the  recent  improvements  are  the  opening  of  new  reading  rooms,  new 
locker  and  dressing  rooms,  shower  baths,  a  new  toilet  building  and  a  wash  room 
for  the  boys,  also  many  other  items  of  lesser  importance. 

This  summer  classes  in  domestic  training  for  the  girls  are  in  progress.  The 
instruction  includes  cooking,  baking,  sewing,  darning,  washing,  ironing,  in  fact 
a  complete  course  in  housekeeping.  For  several  months  Mrs.  Morse  has  an  eve- 
ning in  embroidery.  The  officers  and  directors  for  1917  are:  President,  Arthur 
L.  Clark ;  vice  president,  James  G.  Woodruff ;  secretary,  Wilbur  G.  Manchester ; 
treasurer,  S.  Landon  Alvord ;  corporators,  Arthur  L.  Clark,  James  G.  Woodruff, 
Frederick  C.  Strong,  Dudley  L.  Vaill,  Eugene  Potter,  Harvey  L.  Roberts,  Luman 
C.  Colt,  Edward  L.  Pratt,  S.  Landon  Alvord,  L.  W.  Tiffany,  E.  B.  Gaylord, 
L.  C.  Strong,  Chas.  J.  York,  Wilbur  G.  Manchester,  Wm.  S.  Hulbert,  Lorenzo 
M.  Blake. 

winsted's  public  library 

There  were  several  small  libraries  in  Winsted  prior  to  the  establishment  of  the 
present  free  libraries,  some  of  them  dating  back  over  one  hundred  years.  It  is 
stated  that  one  was  kept  in  the  office  of  Solomon  Rockwell  &  Bros.  There  was 
also  one  in  the  west  school  district  as  early  as  1808.  The  Winsted  historical  and 
theological  library  was  organized  by  the  First  Congregational  Society  in  1810. 
In  1812  some  young  men  in  the  west  village  organized  a  library  which  was  kept 
in  the  house  of  Colonel  Hosea  Hinsdale.  Another  was  organized  in  east  village 
in  1820.  Some  of  the  churches  have  also  established  libraries  in  connection  with 
their  Sunday  schools  at  different  times. 

In  1874,  as  a  momerial  to  her  late  husband,  Deacon  Elliott  Beardsley,  Mrs. 
Delia  R.  Beardsley,  gave  $10,000  to  found  the  Beardsley  library  in  West  Win- 
sted. A  board  of  seven  trustees  was  chosen  by  her  and  they  were  directed  to 
spend  $5,000  for  books  and  magazines  that  year  and  to  invest  the  balance  and  use 
the  income  to  replenish  the  library  from  time  to  time.  Mrs.  Beardsley  also  fur- 
nished rooms  in  the  Beardsley  block  free  of  rent  for  the  use  of  the  library.  It 
was  opened  September  15,  1874.  Upon  her  death  in  1878  members  of  the  family 
generously  continued  until  1884  to  Sn'e  tne  use  °f  tne  rooms.  The  expenses  that 
were  incurred  for  maintenance  were  paid  by  membership  tickets. 

After  remaining  in  its  home  for  twenty- four  years  in  the  Beardsley  block, 
where  it  had  become  cramped  for  room,  the  library  was  moved  in  1898  to  the 
beautiful  brick  memorial  building  erected  for  it  on  the  corner  of  Main  Street 
and  Munro  Place  by  the  late  Jenison  J.  Whiting  and  his  wife,  Mrs.  Mary  Phelps 
Whiting.  At  the  solicitation  of  some  of  the  friends  of  the  library,  it  was  made 
a  free  institution,  a  vote  of  the  town  having  been  passed  for  an  annual  appro- 
priation, amounting  now  to  $1,500  and  it  was  re-opened  as  such  on  June  30,  1899. 
It  then  had  8, too  books  bound  and  unbound.  Previous  to  that  time  the  circula- 
tion had  been  between  7,000  and  8,000  volumes  annually  and  the  first  year  after 

Vol.  1—27 


418      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

it  was  made  free,  the  circulation  jumped  to  41,133.     The  library  now  has  14,900 
volumes. 

The  Gilbert  school  library,  which  is  also  free  to  the  public,  has  over  ten  thou- 
sand volumes  on  its  shelves. 

LITCHFIELD    COUNTY    HOSPITAL 

Situated  on  a  prominence  in  the  western  part  of  Winsted,  is  the  Litchfield 
County  Hospital  of  Winchester.  The  main  building  is  constructed  of  buff  brick 
with  foundation  and  trimmings  of  Keene  granite.  It  is  81  by  53  feet,  with  an  ell 
30  by  24  feet,  and  wings  on  either  end  for  sun  parlors.  There  are  three  floors 
and  basement,  and  the  interior  arrangement  is  all  that  could  be  desired,  every 
necessity  and  requirement  having  been  carefully  looked  after.  The  structure, 
independent  of  furnishings,  cost  about  $42,000. 

A  charter  was  obtained  from  the  General  Assembly  in  1895,  establishing  the 
Litchfield  County  Hospital,  and  an  organization  was  perfected  and  officers 
elected.  The  first  money  raised  for  the  purpose  was  by  Miss  Adelyn  Howard. 
During  her  long  years  of  illness,  visiting  friends  were  asked  to  contribute  for 
such  a  purpose,  and  quite  a  sum  was  realized.  No  immediate  steps  were  taken, 
and  several  years  after,  in  1899,  another  charter  was  obtained  from  the  General 
Assembly  under  the  name  of  the  Winchester  Hospital  Association,  and  an  appro- 
priation of  $10,000  was  granted. 

Further  encouragement  came  from  the  offer  of  Mrs.  Julia  A.  Batcheller  to 
give  the  fine  site  extending  from  Spencer  Street  to  Main,  containing  13^2  acres 
for  the  building;  and  the  gift  of  Mrs.  Maria  M.  Brown  of  $5,000  for  the 
furnishing. 

A  committee,  consisting  of  Doctors  Howe,  Pratt  and  Hulbert,  visited  hospi- 
tals in  various  parts  of  the  country  and  the  present  main  building  is  the  result  of 
their  investigations. 

Ground  was  broken  July  18,  1900,  and  the  General  Assembly  of  1901  consoli- 
dated the  two  organizations  under  the  name  of  the  Litchfield  County  Hospital 
of  Winchester,  and  made  further  appropriation  of  $20,000  for  building  and 
$6,118  for  maintenance. 

In  addition  to  this  state  aid,  personal  gifts  of  money  have  been  large ;  Mrs. 
Batcheller  giving  generously  in  addition  to  the  land.  On  the  29th  of  January, 
1902,  the  Litchfield  County  Hospital  of  Winchester  was  formally  opened  and 
inspected  by  delegations  from  every  town  in  the  county,  and  the  gift  of  $5,000 
for  the  first  free  bed  was  announced. 

At  the  end  of  the  year,  the  records  showed  a  total  of  159  patients  coming 
from  twenty-one  different  towns  and  including  twenty-four  state  beneficiaries. 
The  daily  average  for  the  year  was  twelve.  The  working  force  had  been 
increased  from  three  to  eight  and  even  this  number  was  at  times  inadequate  and 
it  was  found  necessary  to  employ  extra  nurses  a  few  days  at  a  time  to  meet  special 
emergencies. 

Within  three  years  from  its  opening,  ground  was  broken  for  an  additional 
building  west  of  the  main  building  and  similar  in  construction  and  architecture 
for  an  isolation  ward.  The  building  cost  $7,000  and  this  expense  was  liquidated 
by  Wheelock  T.  Batcheller.    The  ward  was  opened  June  1,  1906. 

The  Legislature  of  1909  granted  an  appropriation  of  $15,000  for  the  erection 
of  a  home  for  the  nurses  on  the  grounds. 

The  hospital  has  been  generously  remembered  in  the  way  of  gifts,  the  perma- 
nent funds  in  the  hands  of  trustees  in  191 7  totaling  nearly  two  hundred  thousand 
dollars. 


LITCHFIELD  COUNTY  HOSPITAL.   WLNSTED 


WATERBURY  AXD  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  419 

The  woman's  auxiliary  and  the  Litchfield  County  Hospital  Training  School 
for  Nurses  are  valuable  adjuncts  to  the  hospital  and  from  its  inception  have  con- 
tinued to  be  of  invaluable  assistance.  The  officers  of  the  hospital  in  1917  are: 
President,  Edward  B.  Gaylord ;  vice  president,  J.  H.  Alvord ;  secretary,  L.  C. 
Strong;  treasurer,  Wra,  It.  Phelps;  executive  committee,  E.  B.  Bronson,  M.  H. 
Tanner,  E.  R.  Holmes. 

HISTORY    OF    WINSTED'S    CHURCHES 

The  exact  date  of  the  organization  of  the  First  Church  of  Christ,  as  the  First 
Congregational  Church  was  at  first  called,  is  not  known.  The  parish  records  go 
back  to  March  7,  1778,  at  which  time  a  meeting  was  held  at  the  house  of  John 
Balcom  and  officers  were  appointed.  The  first  step  taken  toward  building  a 
meeting-house  appears  in  a  vote  of  the  society,  September  26,  1780. 

On  October  2,  1792,  a  site  was  finally  chosen  on  Wallin's  Hill  but  ground  was 
not  broken  until  the  following  April.  The  raising  occurred  a  month  or  two 
later,  when  the  records  read,  "cakes  and  good  cheer  were  provided."  The  build- 
ing was  40  by  30  feet,  with  gallery  encircling  three  sides  of  the  interior. 

Soon  afterwards  the  movement  of  the  population  toward  the  valley  began 
and  in  eight  years  the  church  was  rendered  useless.  Only  the  large  horse  block 
remains  now  to  mark  the  site. 

The  society  selected  as  the  site  for  the  new  church  the  spot  at  the  southwest 
corner  of  Winsted  Park.  It  was  a  commodious  edifice  and  stood  there  until 
1849  or  1850  when  it  was  moved  to  the  site  the  old  building  still  occupies  and 
was  reconstructed  in  part,  and  rededicated  with  an  historical  sermon  preached  by 
its  pastor,  Rev.  Ira  Pettibone. 

During  his  pastorate  there  occurred  two  important  events,  the  removal  of  the 
church,  as  stated  above,  and  the  withdrawal,  on  January  8,  1854,  of  fifty-one 
members  to  form  the  Second  Congregational  Church,  they  being  desirous  to  locate 
a  church  near  their  places  of  residence. 

On  November  14,  i860,  Rev.  James  P.  Pierson  was  ordained  to  the  pastorate. 
Reflecting  the  militant  spirit  of  the  times  in  some  of  his  utterances,  opposition 
was  stirred  up  and  as  a  result  Mr.  Pierson  tendered  his  resignation,  sharply 
rebuking  those  who  had  denied  a  preacher  of  the  gospel  the  right  to  discuss  the 
topics  of  the  day  in  the  pulpit.  Malcolm  McG.  Dana,  who  later  became  one 
of  the  best  known  preachers  in  the  denomination,  supplied  the  plupit  from  1862 
to  1865,  declining  a  call  to  the  pastorate  extended  to  him  in  March,  1863.  Rev.  T. 
B.  R.  Walker  received  a  call  January  5,  1867,  and  continued  two  years,  during 
which  time  important  repairs  were  made  and  the  large  organ  which  did  good 
service  for  over  thirty  years  was  installed.  Rev.  Henry  E.  Cobley  served  as 
acting  pastor  following  him.  On  November  10,  1867,  Rev.  Thomas  M.  Miles 
was  ordained  pastor  and  served  until  March  25,  1879.  He  was  an  able  man  and 
did  very  efficient  work,  adding  107  to  the  membership  of  the  church.  The  par- 
sonage, an  attractive  and  commodious  home,  was  built  during  his  pastorate.  He 
was  followed  by  Rev.  T.  F.  Lee  who  was  ordained  December  30,  1870.  Sixty- 
six  members  were  added  during  his  pastorate  of  4l/2  years.  Two  months 
after  his  dismissal  in  October,  1884,  a  call  was  extended  to  Rev.  Henry 
N.  Kinney.  During  his  nine  years  of  service  269  were  added  to  the  membership 
of  the  church.  He  was  a  leader  in  the  Christian  Endeavor  movement  in  the  state 
and  was  greatly  beloved.  Rev.  George  Foster  Prentiss  was  installed  pastor 
February  21,  1894,  and  remained  until  December  30,  1897.  He  inaugurated  the 
movement  for  a  new  church  and  made  a  good  start  in  raising  the  funds.     The 


420      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

present  pastor,  Rev.  George  W.  Judson,  was  installed  June  28,  1898.  To  him 
belongs  the  credit  largely  for  the  completion  of  the  subscriptions  and  the  erection 
of  the  beautiful  granite  church  building  which  was  dedicated  September  19,  1901, 
the  100th  anniversary  of  the  old  meeting  house  being  celebrated  the  same  day. 

SECOND    CONGREGATIONAL    CHURCH 

On  January  18,  1854,  an  ecclesiastical  council  was  convened  at  West  Winsted, 
of  which  Rev.  Joseph  Eldridge  of  Norfolk  was  moderator.  Fifty-one  members 
of  the  First  Church  and  six  from  other  churches  were  organized  into  the  Second 
Congregational  Church.  Rev.  Charles  H.  A.  Bulkley  was  chosen  first  pastor  and 
was  installed  December  5,  1854.  For  three  years  and  eight  months,  until  the 
erection  of  a  church  edifice,  services  were  held  in  Camp's  Hall.  The  society 
committee  was  authorized  to  purchase  the  site  next  north  of  the  Winsted  Savings 
Bank.  The  church  was  dedicated  September  16,  1857,  free  of  debt.  Less  than 
two  years  later,  in  July,  1859,  a  chapel  was  erected  just  north  of  the  church 
building. 

On  November  15,  1859,  a  Meneeley  bell,  weighing  2,190  pounds  and  costing 
$700,.  was  placed  in  the  belfry.  Within  three  months,  in  a  severe  gale  February 
10,  i860,  the  spire  was  blown  over,  carrying  the  bell  with  it,  crushing  in  about 
one-third  of  the  roof.  It  required  nearly  a  year  to  make  the  repairs  and  build 
a  new  steeple,  costing  about  $3,000.     The  church  was  re-opened  January  6,  1861. 

The  second  pastor,  Rev.  Hiram  Eddy,  was  installed  January  9,  1861.  In  the 
following  June  he  was  granted  a  leave  of  absence  for  two  months  to  accept  the 
chaplaincy  of  the  Second  Regiment,  Connecticut  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  was 
taken  prisoner  at  Bull  Run  and  suffered  severely  in  rebel  prisons  at  Richmond 
and  elsewhere  for  more  than  a  year  but  at  length  returned  to  his  pastorate. 

On  March  10,  1873,  the  society  voted  to  make  extensive  repairs  upon  the 
church,  chapel  and  parsonage.  A  little  later  an  addition  of  twenty  feet  was  built 
on  to  the  rear  of  the  chapel,  and  it  was  rededicated  December  17,  1876.  After  a 
pastorate  of  ten  years,  Rev.  Mr.  Hallock  was  dismissed  December  4,  1883.  He 
was  followed  by  Rev.  H.  H.  Kelsey,  who  was  installed  September  10.  1884,  and 
dismissed  June  27,  1888.  The  Christian  Endeavor  Society  was  organized  during 
his  pastorate,  December  14,  1885. 

After  Rev.  Mr.  Kelsey,  Rev.  Henry  P.  Peck  served  the  church  *as  acting 
pastor  for  nearly  two  years.  Rev.  J.  Spencer  Voorhees  was  installed  April  20, 
[892,  and  was  dismissed  October  9,  1896.  Rev.  Newell  M.  Calhoun  succeeded 
him  September  1,  1897.  Not  long  after  Rev.  Mr.  Calhoun  had  arrived  the 
project  for  erecting  a  new  church  edifice  was  well  under  way.  A  subscription 
committee  was  appointed  and  met  with  splendid  success.  The  lot  on  the  corner 
of  Main  and  Spencer  streets  was  purchased  and  A.  B.  Jennings  of  New  York 
was  chosen  as  architect.  The  contract  for  the  beautiful  granite  church,  the  first 
of  the  stone  churches  to  be  erected  in  Winsted  and  in  which  the  town  takes  great 
pride,  was  awarded  to  Decker  &  St.  Claire,  of  New  York  City.  Ground  was 
broken  July  18,  T898.  On  September  10th  of  that  year  the  memorial  stone  was 
laid  by  Deacon  John  Hinsdale  and  the  church  was  dedicated  September  5,  1899, 
the  pastor,  Rev.  Mr.  Calhoun,  preaching  the  dedicatory  sermon.  His  installa- 
tion occurred  in  connection  with  the  services  on  the  following  day.  The  cost  of 
the  church,  including  the  lot  and  memorial  windows,  was  about  sixty  thousand 
dollars.  The  seating  capacity  of  the  auditorium  is  850  and  with  the  Sunday 
school  rooms  1,500. 

The  semi-centennial  celebration  of  the  church  was  held  January  17  and  18, 


SECOND  CONGREGATIONAL  (Hl"R(  H.   WTNSTED 


METHODIST   EPISCOPAL  CHURCH,  WINSTED 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  421 

1904.  Rev.  Mr.  Calhoun  preaching  the  anniversary  sermon.  The  membership 
then  was  418.  Rev.  Everard  \Y.  Snow,  the  present  pastor,  succeeding  Rev. 
Mr.  Calhoun,  entered  upon  his  duties  January   16,  1908. 

In  September,  i»jo<j.  a  large,  new  llutchins  three-manual  pipe  organ  having 
forty-two  speaking  stops  and  costing  $10,000  was  dedicated.  In  1917  there  was 
a  vacancy  in  the  pastorate. 

winciiksi  i:r  center  cuxc.kec.ational  church 

The  Congregational  Church  at  Winchester  Center,  the  oldest  in  the  town,  was 
organized  Octoher  30,  177 1 ,  by  the  Revs.  Nathaniel  Roberts  of  Torrington  and 
Ammi  Ruhamah  Robbins  of  Norfolk,  with  fourteen  members,  eight  males  and 
six  females. 

The  present  church  building  was  erected  in  1841  on  land  leased  to  the  ecclesi- 
astical society  by  Isaac  Brownson,  with  the  agreement  that  no  buildings  should 
hereafter  be  erected  on  Winchester  "green." 

Following  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Joshua  Knapp  there  have  been  six  settled 
pastors  over  this  church,  two  who  have  enjoyed  the  unique  and  remarkable 
experience  of  a  pastorate  of  forty  years  each — Rev.  Frederick  Marsh,  or  Father 
Marsh  as  he  was  better  known,  and  the  revered  and  beloved  pastor,  Rev.  Arthur 
Goodenough,  known  to  the  clergy  of  Connecticut  and  Litchfield  County  as  the 
"Bishop  of  Winchester,"  who  celebrated  in  October,  19 10,  the  completion  of  his 
forty  years  as  pastor  of  this  church. 

THE    METHODIST    CHURCH 

The  history  of  Methodism  in  Winsted  dates  back  to  some  time  prior  to  1790, 
when  pioneer  Methodist  preachers  used  to  come  occasionally  while  making  their 
circuit  and  hold  services  at  the  home  of  some  friend  or  in  a  barn  or  field. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  little  red  schoolhouse  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  on 
Spencer  Street,  which  is  still  remembered  by  many  inhabitants,  was  secured  as 
a  place  for  holding  services  for  the  constantly  increasing  number  of  worshippers. 
The  Methodist  society  continued  to  hold  its  meetings  there  until  the  year  1807 
when  a  site  just  below\  adjoining  the  schoolhouse,  was  purchased  and  the  first 
Methodist  Church  in  W'insted  was  erected  there.     The  building  still  stands. 

The  structure  was  used  for  a  house  of  worship  until  1834.  The  society  had 
continued  to  grow  and  prosper  in  -spite  of  the  opposition  that  it  constantly  met,  so 
that  in  1832  it  was  decided  to  build  a  new  and  more  commodious  church.  A  lot 
on  Main  Street  forming  the  west  portion  of  the  present  church  site  was  bought, 
and  in  1833  a  large  wooden  church  with  basement  was  erected.  The  society  had 
reason  to  be  proud  of  the  new  edifice  which  was  dedicated  January  29,  1834,  the 
preacher  at  the  dedication  being  Rev.  Wilbur  Fisk,  D.  D.,  first  president  of  Wes- 
leyan  University.  That  same  year  the  church  was  set  off  from  the  old  Burling- 
ton circuit  and  made  a  separate  charge.  Rev.  Daniel  Smith  being  appointed  as 
the  first  pastor.    This  church  served  the  needs  of  the  society  for  seventy  years. 

A  new  and  handsome  parsonage  was  erected  by  the  society  on  High  Street 
during  the  '70s  and  it  still  houses  the  pastor  and  his  family.  One  of  two  unsuc- 
cessful attempts  were  made  to  secure  funds  for  a  more  modern  and  commodious 
church  which  it  was  felt  was  beginning  to  be  badly  needed.  There  was  a  grow- 
ing membership  but  there  was  very  little  wealth  represented  in  the  church. 

Fortunately  for  the  society,  in  1890,  Rev.  B.  F.  Kidder,  full  of  energy  and  of 
large  faith,  was  sent  to  the  Winsted  pastorate.     In  the  fall  of  1901,  through  the 


422      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

indefatigable  efforts  of  the  pastor,  $30,000  was  secured  in  cash  and  pledges,  and 
the  Batcheller  property  adjoining  the  church  lot  on  the  corner  of  Main  and  High 
streets  was  bought  for  $10,000,  the  two  properties  making  a  most  desirable  and 
commanding  site.  The  next  year,  1902,  $6,000  more  was  raised  and  the  contract 
for  the  beautiful  new  church  to  be  faced  with  Torrington  granite  and  furnished 
in  oak  was  awarded  to  E.  B.  Parsons  of  Winsted.  Two  years  later,  in  Decem- 
ber, the  church  was  dedicated,  Bishop  Cyrus  D.  Foss  preaching  the  dedicatory 
sermon.  The  entire  cost  of  the  church,  including  the  land,  furnishings,  memorial 
windows,  organ,  etc.,  was  over  sixty  thousand  dollars,  and  the  property  is  nearly 
paid  for. 

The  church  has  a  membership  of  over  seven  hundred  and  is  in  a  prosperous 
condition.    Its  pastor  in  1917  is  Rev.  Claude  C.  Coile. 

THE    FIRST    BAPTIST    CHURCH 

The  Connecticut  Baptist  convention  made  the  first  definite  move  for  a  Baptist 
church  in  Winsted.  The  Rev.  Wallace  H.  Buttrick  suggested  that  the  conven- 
tion use  money  in  its  possession  to  build  a  church.  The  idea  met  with  favor  and 
Winsted  was  chosen  as  the  place. 

Among  those  interested  in  the  project  was  the  late  Lieutenant-Governor 
James  L.  Howard  of  Hartford,  who  procured  the  plans  and  gave  generously  of 
time  and  money. 

The  building  was  erected  in  the  fall  of  1889  and  the  winter  of  1890  on  the  lot 
given  by  Mr.  Griswold.  On  May  14,  1890,  the  church  was  dedicated  with  fitting 
ceremonies. 

Before  the  formal  organization  of  the  church  a  Bible  school  was  started  and 
grew  to  goodly  numbers.  At  the  first  annual  meeting,  held  in  December  of  1890, 
an  average  attendance  of  fifty-seven  was  reported.  The  home  department  for 
the  "shut-ins"  proved  of  mutual  benefit  through  the  personal  touch  of  the  visitors 
with  the  members.  A  Young  People's  Society  of  Christian  Endeavor  was  also 
started  with  about  twelve  members  and  soon  grew  in  numbers,  influence  and 
usefulness. 

On  June  21,  1900,  the  formal  organization  of  the  church  was  held  with 
impressive  ceremonies. 

The  original  constituent  members  numbered  twenty-nine  and  under  the  wise 
spiritual  leadership  of  the  Rev.  Philip  S.  Evans  the  membership  doubled  during 
the  year  and  a  half  that  he  was  pastor.  In  November,  1891,  the  church  called 
for  its  first  regular  pastor.  Rev.  A.  Willis  Clark.  Mr.  Clark's  pastorate  continued 
for  six  years.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Frederick  H.  Gates,  who  began  his 
labors  in  Winsted  in  May,  1898.  Forty- four  members  were  added  to  the  church 
during  his  pastorate,  which  lasted  for  three  years. 

The  longest  pastorate  in  the  church's  history  was  that  closed  in  191 1  with 
the  resignation  of  Rev.  Franklin  D.  Elmer. 

The  present  pastor  (1917)   is  Rev.  Walter  C.  Scott. 

ST.    JAMES    PROTESTANT    EPISCOPAL    CHURCH 

The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  had  been  firmly  planted  in  Litchfield 
County  for  many  decades  and  churches  of  that  denomination  had  been  established 
in  Torrington  and  Riverton  when  soon  after  Easter,  1846,  services  were  begun  to 
be  held  on  alternate  Sundays  in  Winsted,  in  a  school  house,  by  Rev.  William  H. 
Frisbie.  who  ministered  at  Riverton  and  Harwinton. 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  423 

Pledges  amounting  to  $1,500  for  a  church  building  were  secured  by  Rev.  Mr. 
Frisbie  during  the  following  winter,  and  on  Easter,  1847,  Rev.  Jonathan  Coe, 
under  appointment  of  the  Clerical  and  Missionary  Association  of  Litchfield 
County,  took  charge  of  the  congregation.  In  1848  the  services  were  held  in  a 
hall  and  on  September  27th,  of  that  year,  the  parish  of  St.  James'  Church  was 
organized  with  fifteen  members.  The  new  church  building  was  completed  in 
October,  and  on  the  following  All  Saints'  Day  the  church  was  consecrated  by 
Bishop  Brownell  and  at  the  next  diocesan  convention  the  parish  was  formally 
admitted  into  the  diocese.  For  the  first  twenty  years  the  new  parish  did  little 
more  than  hold  its  own,  the  number  of  communicants  at  any  time  not  exceeding 
thirty.  During  this  period  five  clergymen  succeeded  the  first  rector,  one  of  them 
being  Rev.  James  R.  Coe,  who  had  been  a  warden.  Then  followed  a  period  of 
great  prosperity  and  growth  in  the  twelve  years  succeeding,  beginning  and  ending 
with  the  short  rectorates  of  two  priests,  Rev.  William  H.  Lewis,  jr.,  and  Rev. 
Frederick  Harriman.  Under  Rev.  Mr.  Lewis  the  number  of  communicants 
became  sixty-one,  and  in  fourteen  months  Rev.  Mr.  Harriman  baptized  fourteen 
adults  and  twenty-four  children  and  presented  twenty-six  for  confirmation,  leav- 
ing 135  names  on  the  communicant  roll. 

In  1880  began  the  long  rectorate  of  Rev.  George  M.  Stanley,  covering  nearly 
a  third  of  the  parish's  history,  in  which  there  were  125  marriages  entered  upon 
the  church  register.  A  half  century  of  parochial  life,  marked  by  years  filled  with 
employment  in  the  Master's  cause  and  by  many  successes,  ended  in  this  rectorate. 

Early  in  the  history  a  rectory  had  been  provided  and  care  had  been  taken 
for  its  maintenance. 

The  rectorate  of  Rev.  S.  Wolcott  Linsley,  which  terminated  in  191 1,  cover- 
ing eight  years,  marked  another  era  of  progress  in  spiritual  and  numerical 
growth  in  the  church's  history. 

The  present  rector  is  Rev.  Robert  V.  K.  Harris. 

A.    M.    E.    ZION    CHURCH 

Religious  work  among  the  colored  people  in  Winsted  as  a  separate  denomina- 
tion was  begun  about  sixteen  years  ago,  when  William  N.  Berry  was  sent  here 
by  the  Xew  England  conference  of  the  African  Methodist  Episcopal  Zion  Church 
to  work  among  his  people.  Services  were  held  at  first  in  the  town  hall  and  later 
Mr.  Berry  engaged  Mechanics  Hall  for  their  place  of  worship  and  this  was  used 
until  1909. 

The  new  church  was  dedicated  on  Sunday,  January  3d,  1909.  The  corner- 
stone was  laid  at  the  same  time,  provision  having  been  made  for  its  being  slid 
into  place. 

THE    CHRISTIAN    SCIENCE    CHURCH 

Christian  Science  has  had  adherents  in  Winsted  for  many  years,  as  far  back 
as  in  the  '90s,  but  not  until  December,  1900,  did  Christian  Scientists  take  any 
active  steps  to  hold  public  Christian  Science  services.  In  January,  1901,  a  Chris- 
tian Science  society  was  organized  and  from  that  date  a  steady  increase  of  inter- 
est has  developed  and  at  present  Winsted  has  a  thriving,  working  society. 

Since  December  9,  1900,  and  until  1911,  public  services  were  held  continu- 
ously in  Winsted  either  in  private  homes  or  halls.  Since  IQ05  the  society  has 
held  services  in  rooms  especially  fitted  up  for  it  on  the  second  floor  of  the  Wet- 
more  Block.  It  has  also  maintained  reading  rooms  open  to  the  public  daily  from 
3  to  5  P.  M.,  except  Sundays  and  holidays. 


424      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

During  19 10  the  society  reorganized  and  now  is  a  state  corporation.  This 
was  necessitated  by  the  acquiring  of  property  by  the  society,  it  having  purchased 
what  has  been  known  as  the  old  Lincoln  property  on  the  corner  of  High  Street 
and  Fairview  Avenue,  at  the  head  of  Union  Street.  It  is  on  this  lot  that  ground 
was  broken  for  the  new  church  edifice. 

The  first  reader  of  the  church  in  1917  is  Mrs.  Carrie  Spencer.  The  treasurer 
is  Raymond  W.  Churchill. 

THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  CATHOLIC  CHURCH   IN  WINSTED 

With  the  Catholics  of  the  entire  town  solidly  united  in  a  single  parish,  St. 
Joseph's  Roman  Catholic  Church  stands  out  forcibly  in  the  religious  life  of  the 
community  and  its  influence  is  widely  felt. 

It  has  just  completed  its  magnificent  new  church  at  the  corner  of  Main  and 
Oak  streets. 

The  Catholic  Church  in  Winsted  dates  back  to  185 1,  when  Rev.  James  Lynch, 
who  resided  in  Birmingham  (now  Derby),  New  Haven  County,  at  the  time, 
began  making  occasional  visits  to  Winsted,  celebrating  mass  in  a  schoolhouse  in 
the  west  end  of  the  borough.  He  was  not  long  in  organizing  his  flock,  however, 
for  in  1852  the  land  occupied  by  the  former  church  on  Oak  Street  was  purchased 
and  the  same  year  Rev.  Thomas  Quinn  entered  upon  pastoral  duties  and  com- 
menced the  erection  of  the  church.  A  recent  graduate  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Theological  Seminary  at  Fordham,  N.  Y.,  Father  Quinn  was  a  brilliant  orator 
and  a  year  later  he  was  transferred  to  a  more  important  field.  Rev.  Phillip  Guil- 
lick,  already  well  known  among  the  priesthood  as  "the  great  church  builder," 
succeeded  him  and  completed  the  church,  although  greatly  handicapped  by  a 
shortage  of  funds. 

The  next  pastor  was  Rev.  Thomas  Hendrickson,  later  Bishop  of  Providence, 
and  he  was  succeeded  in  turn  by  Rev.  Richard  O'Gorman  in  1855,  Rev.  Lawrence 
Managan  in  1856,  and  in  i860  by  Rev.  Daniel  Mullen,  who  on  the  breaking  out 
of  the  Civil  war,  was  transferred  to  the  chaplaincy  of  the  Ninth  Regiment, 
Connecticut  Volunteers.  Rev.  Philip  Sheridan  was  then  sent  to  Winsted  and 
remained  in  charge  until  succeeded  in  1865  by  Rev.  Leo  De  Saracena,  O.  F.  M., 
who  came  to  Winsted  from  the  battlefield,  he  having  succeeded  Father  Mullen 
as  chaplain  of  the  Ninth. 

The  coming  of  Father  Leo  marked  the  beginning  of  a  new  era  in  the  history 
of. the  parish.  Possessed  of  a  fighting  spirit  that  knew  no  bounds  and  keenly 
enthusiastic,  he  attacked  the  work  before  him  with  a  vengeance  and  the  next 
year  saw  notable  progress.  Additional  land  was  purchased  for  the  erection  of  a 
schoolhouse  and  a  residence  for  the  sisters,  and  in  November,  1866,  the  church 
itself  was  conveyed  by  Bishop  McFarland  to  the  Franciscan  order.  During  the 
succeeding  years  the  parish  increased  with  marvelous  rapidity  and  more  land 
was  acquired  and  the  buildings  were  rebuilt  and  greatly  improved.  But  the 
accomplishments  of  Father  Leo  are  too  well  known  to  warrant  enumeration  and 
it  is  sufficient  to  say  that  when  he  died,  November  3,  1897,  this  community 
suffered  the  loss  of  one  of  its  most  influential  and  generally  respected  residents, 
a  man  beloved  and  revered  by  Catholics  and  Protestants  alike.  In  the  ranks  of 
his  order  he  had  been  equally  prominent,  for  previous  to  1881  he  served  as  pro- 
vincial superior  of  the  Franciscan  order  in  the  Immaculate  Conception  province 
and  later  as  president  of  St.  Bonaventure's  College  at  Allegany,  N.  Y. 

Following  the  death  of  Father  Leo  the  pastorate  fell  to  Rev.  Father  Alex- 
ander Ilickey,  who  was  in  turn  succeeded  by  Rev.  Pamphilus  Ennis,  who  died  in 


NEW    ST.    JOSEPH'S    ROMAN    CATHOLIC    CHURCH,    WINSTED 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY      425 

Winsted  in  1901  ;  Rev.  Michael  Mann  and  the  Right  Rev.  Andrew  W.  Slattery, 
the  present  incumbent. 

During  the  administration  of  Father  Andrew  the  realty  holdings  of  the  parish 
have  been  greatly  increased  and.  as  above  stated,  the  parish  is  now  about  to 
officially  dedicate  its  modern  edifice  that  has  taken  its  proper  place  among 
the  other  handsome  churches  of  the  town.  The  parish  now  owns  all  the 
land  on  the  westerly  side  of  Oak  Street  from  Main  Street  northerly  to  Wetmore 
Avenue,  with  the  exception  of  three  small  tracts  on  which  are  two  dwellings. 
The  land  has  a  frontage  on  Main  Street  of  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  and 
the  greater  portion  of  it  extends  westerly  from  Oak  Street  to  Chestnut  Street. 
Another  large  tract  in  Mooreville  was  purchased  for  cemetery  purposes,  but  has 
never  been  used  on  account  of  the  more  recent  purchase  of  land  adjoining  the 
old  cemetery  which  now  extends  from  Holabird  Avenue  northerly  to  Wetmore 
Avenue  on  the  westerly  side  of  Oak  Street. 

NEWSPAPER    HISTORY    OF    WINSTED 

The  history  of  the  press  of  Winsted  dates  back  to  1853  and  during  the  more 
than  three  score  years  that  have  elapsed  some  very  distinguished  men  have  been 
numbered  among  the  journalistic  writers  of  this  town. 

The  Mountain  County  Herald,  a  six-column  folio,  made  its  debut  May  14, 
1853,  under  the  proprietorship  of  the  firm  of  Hubbard  &  Clarke,  composed  of 
Stephen  A.  Hubbard,  later  managing  editor  of  the  Hartford  Courant,  and 
Thomas  M.  Clarke,  who  was  for  years  one  of  Winsted's  distinguished  citizens 
and  leading  manufacturers.  Mr.  Clarke  withdrew  in  February,  1854,  to  become 
editor  of  the  Bridgeport  Leader.  Edmund  Clarence  Stedman,  who  later  became 
distinguished  as  a  man  of  letters  and  was  known  as  the  banker-poet,  took  Mr. 
Clarke's  place  on  the  staff  of  the  Herald  and  for  a  year  and  two  months  Messrs. 
Hubbard  &  Stedman  were  at  the  helm.  Then  Mr.  Clarke  returned  and  became 
Mr.  Stedman's  successor  and  the  original  firm  of  Hubbard  &  Clarke  published 
the  Herald  until  the  following  July,  when  Mr.  Hubbard  withdrew  and  Mr.  Clarke 
continued  as  editor  and  proprietor  until  after  the  Civil  war. 

In  the  meantime  Mr.  Clarke  had  changed  the  name  of  the  paper  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  sixth  volume  to  The  Winsted  Herald,  which  title  is  still 
retained. 

In  November,  1865,  Mr.  Clarke  sold  out  to  the  Winsted  Printing  Company, 
a  new  joint  stock  corporation  and  Theodore  F.  Yaill,  adjutant  of  the  Second 
Connecticut  Heavy  Artillery,  became  editor.  Upon  his  death,  in  February,  1875, 
his  brother,  J.  H.  Yaill,  who  had  been  business  manager  for  six  years,  became 
the  editor.  Mr.  Yaill  filled  the  editorial  chair  and  directed  the  management  of 
the  paper  most  acceptably  for  sixteen  years. 

In  1891,  Mr.  Vaill  leased  the  Herald  to  Wombaugh  &  Safford.  In  1892, 
while  he  was  engaged  as  executive  secretary  of  the  World's  Fair  board  in  Hart- 
ford, they  started  the  Daily  Herald.  After  running  it  a  few  weeks  they  retired 
from  the  business,  being  unable  to  make  a  pecuniary  success  of  it. 

Early  in  1893  the  concern  was  re-organized  and  made  the  Winsted  Herald 
Company,  instead  of  the  Winsted  Printing  Company,  and  the  office  was  removed 
from  Lake  Street  to  the  then  Grand  Army  Building.  B.  Frank  Marsh  was  given 
the  business  and  editorial  management  of  the  paper.  R.  S.  Hulbert  was  called 
in  to  assist  him  in  the  fall  of  1893  and  upon  John  Rodemeyer's  resignation  the 
following  winter,  Mr.  Hulbert  became  the  active  editor.  Upon  Mr.  Vaill's  return 
from  Chicago  in  1894,  after  the  Columbian  Exposition,  he  took  Mr.  Marsh's 
place  and  R.  S.  Frary  became  business  manager. 


426      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

In  the  spring  of  1895,  the  Herald  was  sold  to  the  Citizen  Printing  Company, 
and  since  then  has  been  conducted  as  a  weekly  paper.  During  this  time  the  edi- 
torial chair  has  been  occupied  by  J.  H.  Van  Keuren,  E.  L.  Brand,  R.  R.  Noble 
and  Col.  S.  B.  Home,  the  present  editor,  Mr.  Vaill  being  retained  for  a  short 
time  as  a  political  writer. 

The  size  of  the  paper  was  changed  at  various  times  from  a  six-column  folio 
to  a  seven,  eight  and  nine-column  folio  and  to  a  six-column  quarto,  a  two  or 
four-page  insert  being  added  in  recent  years. 

The  Winsted  Press  was  first  published  July  5,  1873,  by  Henry  A.  Bills,  a  well 
known  politician,  and  Lucien  V.  Pinney,  who  was  a  journeyman  printer  at  that 
time,  under  the  firm  name  of  Bills  &  Pinney.  Three  months  later,  Mr.  Pinney 
bought  out  Mr.  Bills'  interest  and  continued  the  publication  of  the  paper  until  it 
was  sold  to  the  Citizen  Printing  Company  in  1888.  The  Press  was  democratic  in 
its  earliest  days,  but  in  1874  it  began  to  support  greenback  principles  and 
endorsed  Peter  Cooper  in  1876,  James  B.  Weaver  in  1880,  and  Gen.  Ben.  Butler 
in  1884,  the  three  greenback  candidates  for  president.  In  fact,  the  paper  con- 
tinued a  stanch  greenback  organ  until  it  was  sold.  Mr.  Pinney  wrote  with  a 
free  hand  and  never  lacked  success  in  provoking  comment  among  his  readers.  The 
Press  started  as  a  five-column  quarto  but  after  the  first  year  was  changed  to  an 
eight-column  folio  and  was  continued  in  that  form.  It  was  published  in  the 
Hotel  Central  Building  for  a  number  of  years,  after  which  Mr.  Pinney  built  an 
office  on  Union  Street.  After  selling  out  to  Mr.  Pinney,  Mr.  Bills  started  the 
Winsted  News,  in  1874,  as  a  democratic  paper.  In  1880  it  was  purchased  by 
W.  A.  Mc Arthur,  formerly  of  the  Ludlow  (Vt.)  Tribune,  and  the  name  was 
changed  to  The  Times  and  News.  It  was  an  eight-column  quarto  and  at  one  time 
claimed  1,200  subscribers,  but  finally  expired. 

The  Citizen  Printing  Company,  a  stock  corporation,  was  organized  at  Hotel 
Andrews,  March  24,  1888,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $5,000.  The  directors  elected 
were  Hon.  Nathaniel  B.  Stevens,  John  H.  Van  Keuren,  E.  F.  Heubler,  Wni.  B. 
Sill,  Jay  E.  Spaulding,  Col.  Samuel  B.  Home  and  H.  Hungerford  Drake. 
Mr.  Stevens  was  elected  president  and  treasurer,  Mr.  Spaulding  vice  president, 
and  Mr.  Van  Keuren  secretary.  Mr.  Van  Keuren  was  also  elected  editor-in-chief 
and  business  manager  of  The  Citizen.  William  R.  Sill,  managing  editor  of  The 
Citizen,  Mr.  Stevens  editor  of  the  Litchfield  County  Leader,  and  E.  F.  Heubler, 
superintendent.  The  Winsted  Press  and  Wethersfield  Farmer  were  purchased 
by  the  new  company.  An  office  was  opened  at  417  Main  Street,  in  the  Wetmore 
Building,  and  Winsted's  new  daily  paper.  The  Winsted  Evening  Citizen,  was 
launched  April  30,  1888,  as  a  six-column  folio  with  the  Litchfield  County  Leader 
as  the  weekly  edition. 

Mr.  Sill  resigned  as  editor  of  the  Citizen  on  October  1st  of  that  year  and  Mr. 
\  an  Keuren  filled  his  place,  Mr.  Heubler  taking  over  the  business  management. 
Mr.  Heubler  resigned  in  the  fall  of  1894  and  E.  L.  Brand  was  elected  superin- 
tendent in  his  place.  The  following  spring  the  capital  stock  of  the  company  was 
increased  to  $15,000  and  the  purchase  of  the  Winsted  Herald  was  made,  the 
board  of  directors  being  increased  to  nine,  the  new  directors  consisting  of  Col.  S. 
I'..  Home,  IT.  H.  Drake,  J.  H.  Van  Keuren,  J.  E.  Spaulding,  N.  B.  Stevens, 
Henry  Gay,  M.  II.  Tanner,  E.  F.  Heubler,  and  J.  H.  Alvord.  Mr.  Van  Keuren 
added  the  editorship  of  The  Herald  to  his  duties. 

On  account  of  ill  health,  Mr.  Van  Keuren,  who  had  filled  the  editorial  chair 
so  ably  and  conscientiously  from  the  establishment  of  the  Citizen,  resigned  in  the 
spring  of  1896  and  Walter  L.  Bevins  of  Meriden  was  elected  secretary  of  the 


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WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY      427 

company  and  editor  of  The  Citizen,  to  succeed  him.  Mr.  Bevins  resigned  the 
following  year  and  Irving  E.  Manchester  was  appointed  editor  of  The  Citizen, 
Dr.  H.  H.  Drake  being  elected  secretary.  After  editing  The  Citizen  for  seven 
years,  Mr.  Manchester  retired,  in  1904,  accepting  the  editorship  of  the  Commer- 
cial Bulletin,  of  Hartford,  and  Louis  T.  Stone,  who  had  been  connected  with  The 
Citizen  since  it  was  founded,  with  the  exception  of  an  interim  of  a  few  months, 
was  elected  editor.  In  the  fall  of  1905,  upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Stevens,  who  had 
filled  the  offices  of  president  and  treasurer  so  ably  since  the  organization  of  the 
company,  Mr.  Manchester  returned  and  became  president  and  treasurer  of  the 
company  and  managing  editor  of  The  Citizen,  Mr.  Stone  remaining  as  local 
editor,  E.  M.  Piatt  being  appointed  editor  of  the  Litchfield  County  Leader. 

In  the  past  ten  years  The  Citizen  has  made  extensive  improvements  in  its 
plant,  thereby  permitting  it  to  become  an  up-to-date  newspaper.  In  1906  a  Mer- 
genthaler  linotype  machine  and  a  Scott  two-revolution  press  were  installed, 
besides  other  new  equipment,  to  take  the  place  of  worn-out  machinery.  In  1909 
the  company  moved  its  plant  to  its  new  office-building,  which  is  one  of  the  best 
printing  offices  in  the  state.  Another  new  model  linotype  machine  and  a  Bab- 
cock  Dispatch  press  were  installed,  permitting  the  daily  edition  of  (13,000)  Citi- 
zens to  be  run  off  in  less  than  an  hour. 

The  Citizen  has  the  United  Press  Association's  telegraphic  service,  covering 
the  globe,  and  serving  hundreds  of  daily  papers,  also  the  service  of  the  American 
Press  Association,  which  employs  the  ablest  writers  and  correspondents.  It  has 
also  a  large  corps  of  able  local  correspondents  throughout  northwetern  Connecti- 
cut and  southern  Berkshire,  Massachusetts,  who  pride  themselves  in  gleaning 
everything  that  is  worth  while  in  the  way  of  news. 

winsted's  industrial  development 

With  its  remarkable  natural  advantages,  its  water  power  resources  and  its 
fine  shipping  facilities,  Winsted  early  in  its  history  became  the  center  of  many 
large  interests. 

The  manufacture  of  leather  has  been  one  of  the  industries  of  Winsted  since 
its  earliest  days.  The  abundant  forests  of  hemlock  which  the  settlers  found  here, 
and  which  gave  to  this  section  its  title  of  the  Green  Woods,  furnished  bark 
which  was  employed  for  the  tanning  of  hides  for  domestic  uses  from  the  first, 
and  later  industrial  enterprises  in  leather  manufacture  sprang  up.  The  dimin- 
ishing supply  of  bark  for  tanning  purposes  has  resulted  in  many  changes  in  the 
industry  locally.  Enough  is  still  obtained  in  this  section,  however,  for  the  manu- 
facture of  a  large  amount  of  leather  on  the  old  fashioned  lines,  and  modern  proc- 
esses based  upon  other  tanning  agencies  have  also  been  introduced.  This  busi- 
ness in  Winsted  is  in  the  hands  of  George  Dudley  &  Son  Co.,  which  operates  two 
tanneries  in  the  borough  and  one  in  West  Norfolk. 

This  is  one  of  the  oldest  manufacturing  enterprises  in  Winsted.  A  tannery 
has  existed  on  the  site  of  its  present  main  building  for  over  a  hundred  years,  and 
the  business  dates  from  1831,  when  the  propertv  was  acquired  by  the  Hon. 
George  Dudley.  The  present  company,  of  which  D.  L.  Yaill  is  president  and 
\ndrew  Fox  (recently  deceased,  was  secretary),  was  incorporated  in  1882.  The 
output  of  the  establishment  is  almost  entirely  split  sheep  skins,  which  are  used 
in  bookbinding,  pocketbook  making,  and  for  a  large  number  of  other  purposes. 

It  is  necessary  to  turn  back  the  pages  of  Winsted's  history  to  the  year  1852 
in  order  to  find  the  record  of  the  first  work  accomplished  by  the  concern  which 


428      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

is  now  known  as  the  Empire  Knife  Co.  It  will  be  found  that  two  Englishmen, 
Messrs.  Thompson  and  Gaseoigne,  came  to  Winsted  in  that  year  and  opened  a 
modest  little  shop  for  the  purpose  of  making  pocket  cutlery.  It  was  called 
"making"  in  those  days.  After  a  period  of  sixty-eight  years,  it  may  well  be  digni- 
fied by  the  term  "manufacture,"  because  800  patterns  of  pocket  knives  are  pro- 
duced. The  founders  did  a  fair  trade,  but  lacked  capital  to  develop  the  industry, 
and  in  1856  the  business  passed  into  the  hands  of  Beardsley  &  Alvord.  They 
set  about  enlarging  the  plant  at  once,  at  the  same  time  bringing  the  business  up 
to  a  profitable  basis.  They  continued  the  enterprise  till  1876,  the  time  of  Elliott 
Beardsley's  death.  Their  successors  were  James  R.  Alvord,  Eugene  Potter  and 
Martha  E.  Beardsley.  Later  Charles  L.  Alvord  and  Seymour  Landon  Alvord, 
sons  of  James  R.  Alvord,  assumed  an  active  part  in  the  management.  The  plant 
was  removed  to  the  present  site  in  the  west  end  in  1879. 

In  1890  the  business  was  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  Connecticut,  with  a 
capital  of  $80,000.  The  plant  as  it  stands  today  is  a  model  of  modern  equipment. 
Power  is  obtained  from  Mad  River.  The  main  building  contains  36,000  square 
feet  of  floor  space.  The  company  in  19 10  completed  its  new  office  building, 
which  is  an  attractive  and  commodious  structure  built  of  brick  and  appointed 
throughout  with  modern  facilities.  As  the  plant  appears  now,  it  is  one  of  the 
largest  in  America  and  third  in  point  of  age.  Hands  to  the  number  of  150  are 
employed,  every  person  being  qualified  in  his  or  her  respective  department.  The 
output  of  this  factory  stands  at  the  head  and  front  in  quality  of  any  in  America. 
The  products  are  shipped  all  over  the  United  States. 

In  the  year  1854  the  inhabitants  of  the  United  States  were  not  sufficiently 
familiar  with  the  use  of  pins  to  demand  them  in  great  numbers.  Besides,  pins 
were  not  as  much  in  vogue  in  proportion  to  the  population  as  at  present.  Conse- 
quently when  John  G.  Wetmore  established  himself  as  a  pin  manufacturer,  the 
market  was  still  in  embryo  and  the  factory  in  Winsted  ran  along  in  a  modest  way. 
This  concern  is  one  of  Winsted's  most  important  industries,  giving  employment 
to  over  three  hundred  operatives.  The  company  is  the  producer  of  the  cele- 
brated specialty  known  as  the  Pyramid  pin;  also  proprietor  of  the  Winsted  Paper 
Box  Co.  The  plant  is  one  of  the  best  equipped  in  Connecticut,  both  from  the 
standard  of  machinery  and  sanitary  arrangements.  From  a  two-story  building 
of  very  cramped  dimensions,  the  factory  has  been  augmented  until  now  it  covers 
more  than  a  city  block,  its  latest  addition  having  been  built  in  1913. 

The  founder  of  the  business  died  about  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  at  which 
time  the  industry  came  under  the  supervision  of  the  late  Jay  E.  Spaulding,  who 
was  the  chief  executive  officer,  having  as  his  assistant  George  F.  Drake.  To  their 
business  ability,  as  well  as  to  the  growth  of  the  population  of  America,  as 
already  mentioned,  is  due  the  development  of  this  industry  from  a  comparatively 
humble  enterprise  to  its  present  influential  position,  not  only  as  being  one  of  the 
most  valued  industrial  assets  of  Winsted  from  the  point  of  a  wage-paying  insti- 
tution, but  because  the  New  England  Pin  Co.  occupies  a  place  among  the  leading 
concerns  in  this  line  in  the  United  States. 

The  Winsted  Mfg.  Co.  was  established  in  1835,  to  manufacture  scythes.  It 
later  added  grasshooks  to  its  output.  The  product  today  comprises  grain,  grass, 
brush,  bramble  and  lawn  scythes,  also  hay  and  corn  knives.  The  factory  devoted 
to  this  industry  is  located  on  North  Main  Street  and  occupies  3,000  square  feet 
of  space,  the  plant  being  equipped  with  modern  machinery  and  with  twenty-five 
to  thirty  hands  employed.  The  business  office  of  the  company  is  located  at  60 
Main  Street. 


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NEW    ENGLAND    PIN    COMPANY,    WIXsTKIi 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  429 

The  Strong  Mfg.  Co.  was  established  in  East  Hampton,  in  1856,  by  Mark- 
ham  &  Strong,  who  carried  on  a  general  plating  industry.  In  1857  they  branched 
out  as  manufacturers  of  undertakers'  metallic  supplies.  The  business  was 
reorganized  in  February,  i80(>,  under  the  style  of  the  Strong  Mfg.  Co.,  in  Win- 
sted,  with  a  capital  of  $16,000.  At  this  time  David  Strong  an(J  Clark  Strong 
moved  to  Winsted,  bringing  with  them  several  families  of  the  employees.  The 
premises  were  very  primitive  and  modest,  the  plant  at  that  time  being  located  in 
a  small  wooden  building  which  was  owned  by  William  L.  Gilbert.  It  was  on  the 
site  now  occupied  by  the  great  building  with  its  five  brick  stories  and  its  50,000 
square  feet  of  floor  space,  including  its  power  plant,  plating,  casting  and  press- 
rooms in  the  rear. 

The  stockholders  in  this  company  comprised :  President,  William  L.  Gilbert ; 
secretary,  treasurer  and  agent,  Clark  Strong  (one  of  the  founders)  ;  David 
Strong,  Normand  Adams,  C.  B.  Hallett,  A.  L.  Wiers,  T.  Baird,  Joseph  H.  Norton 
and  Ezra    Baldwin. 

There  has  been  a  gradual  increase  of  capital,  until  today  it  stands  at  $100,000 
as  the  result  of  business  development  requiring  additional  funds.  There  are  many 
interesting  phases  connected  with  this  company's  conduct  of  the  great  manufac- 
turing industry  whose  wage  list  so  materially  benefits  the  average  force  of  125 
employees  and  incidentally  the  merchants  of  Winsted.  While  there  are  other 
concerns  paying  out  more  wages  yearly,  the  money  it  pays  out  in  wages  rep- 
resents more  per  capita  no  doubt  than  many  of  these,  for  the  reason  that  the 
employees  here  come  under  the  head  of  skilled  mechanics,  machinery  playing 
comparatively  a  small  part  in  the  workings  of  the  factory. 

A  prominent  Winsted  concern  devoted  to  the  manufacture  of  traveling  cranes, 
chain  hoists,  trolleys  and  tram  rail  systems  is  the  Franklin  Moore  Co.  of  Winsted. 
It  also  manufactures  "Charter  Oak"  and  Norway  iron  carriage,  tire,  fancy  and 
special  bolts  and  axle  clips.  Hoisting  machinery  claims  its  special  attention,  a 
feature  being  made  of  what  is  known  as  the  Acme  chain  hoist. 

The  plant  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  this  section  of  Connecticut,  Reuben  Cook 
having  established  it  in  181 1  for  the  manufacture  of  axes.  For  some  cause  the 
business  went  into  liquidation.  In  1866  Franklin  Moore  and  Edward  Clarke 
established  the  firm  of  Moore  &  Clarke  to  engage  in  the  manufacture  of  bolts 
there.  Franklin  Moore  succeeded  them  in  1870.  Mr.  Moore  died  in  1879  and 
was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Alfred  E.  Moore,  who  conducted  the  business  under 
the  name  of  Franklin  Moore  &  Co.  In  1883  the  business  was  incorporated  with 
a  capital  stock  of  $66,000,  the  name  being  changed  to  the  Franklin  Moore  Co., 
the  capital  being  increased  later  to  $110,000.  Alfred  E.  Moore,  who  is  well 
remembered  by  reason  of  his  famous  balloon  ascensions,  died  in  1890.  Many 
improvements  have  been  made  to  the  plant  from  time  to  time.  In  1889  a  fireproof 
iron  building,  100x40  feet,  was  erected  for  the  forging  department.  There  is  also 
a  three-story  brick  building,  70x40  feet.  Another  story  and  a  half  frame  build- 
ing, 97x35  feet,  besides  a  commodious  office  building,  a  large  storehouse  and 
several  smaller  buildings. 

Far  over  the  half-century  line  in  age  is  the  Winsted  Edge  Tool  Works.  The 
concern  now  bearing  this  name  was  established  on  Dec.  18,  1865,  by  Thomas 
M.  Clark  under  the  style  of  the  Winsted  Hoe  Co.  The  officers  of  this  company 
consisted  of  Thomas  M.  Clark,  president  and  treasurer,  and  C.  S.  Foster,  secre- 
tary. The  business  was  conducted  originally,  as  its  name  indicated,  for  the 
manufacture  of  southern  planters'  hoes.  During  the  reconstruction  period  follow- 
ing the  civil  war,  the  demand  for  planters'  hoes  was  very  slight.  More  attention 
was  given  to  the  line  of  carpenters'  chisels,  gauges,  and  drawing  knives,  which 


430  WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

was  started  by  Samuel  Boyd  in  1827  and  continued  since  that  time.  In  February, 
1868,  the  line  of  chisels  was  strengthened  by  the  purchase  of  the  business  and 
good-will  of  the  Witherby  Tool  Co.,  of  Millbury,  Mass.,  who  manufactured  the 
well-known  line  of  T.  H.  Witherby  carpenters'  tools.  Since  the  purchase  of  the 
Witherby  brand  the  line  of  chisels,  etc.,  has  been  constantly  improved  and  per- 
fected, until  at  the  present  time  they  enjoy  an  enviable  reputation  and  sale 
throughout  the  world. 

In  January,  1882,  the  style  of  the  concern  was  changed  to  the  Winsted  Edge 
Tool  Works,  their  products  comprising  chisels,  drawing-knives  and  gauges.  The 
factory,  which  is  40x387  feet  and  150  feet  of  which  is  a  two-story  structure,  is 
one  of  the  most  modernly  equipped  plants  in  New  England.  Every  kind  of 
modern  machinery  is  in  use  for  the  making  of  the  specialites  enumerated.  During 
1916  fire  seriously  damaged  the  plant,  but  this  has  now  been  rebuilt. 

At  the  time  the  Winsted  Hosiery  Co.  was  established  here  in  1882  and  incor- 
porated with  a  capital  of  $40,000  it  was  regarded  as  a  piece  of  great  fortune  to 
the  town.  From  the  days  of  its  modest  foundation  on  the  east  side  of  Still  River, 
the  business  has  grown  until  the  annual  output  is  stated  to  be  over  a  million.  In 
its  incipiency  the  company  had  for  officers :  President,  William  L.  Gilbert ; 
secretary  and  treasurer,  L.  W.  Tiffany,  and  agent,  W.  F.  Taylor.  In  the  year 
1885  E.  B.  Gaylord  was  appointed  secretary  and  in  1888  he  took  over  the  general 
management  of  the  plant.  The  original  factory  was  a  three-story  wooden  struc- 
ture, 48x100  feet.  The  concern  employed  55  operatives.  Today  the  main  build- 
ing is  270x50  feet,  four  stories  high ;  there  is  a  three-story  building,  36x244  feet ; 
another  four-story  building,  28x240  feet,  was  recently  completed ;  there  are  six 
storehouses  and  a  power  building  to  accommodate  a  400  horse-power  engine.  The 
plant  is  the  second  largest  of  its  kind  in  the  state.  There  are  nearly  500  persons 
on  the  payroll. 

The  concern  manufactures  knit  underwear  and  half  hose.  The  trade  has 
grown  from  a  slight  one  until  the  company's  products  are  shipped  to  all  sections 
of  the  United  States. 

In  the  year  1888  a  number  of  Winsted  men  started  out  to  establish  a  factory 
for  knitting  men's  underwear  that  should  become  in  time  one  of  the  leading 
industries  of  New  England.  They  organized  and  incorporated  the  New  England 
Knitting  Co.,  with  Henry  Gay  as  president,  E.  B.  Gaylord  secretary  and  treasurer, 
and  L.  W.  Tiffany,  general  manager.  Their  plant  was  very  small, — only  four 
sets  of  carding  and  spinning  machinery  were  installed.  But  the  promoters,  essen- 
tially mill  men,  started  out  with  hard-headed,  practical  ideas.  The  mill  has 
grown  from  a  mere  cluster  of  sheds  to  a  gathering  of  from  two  to  four-story 
buildings  whose  combined  floor  space  is  66,000  square  feet.  Besides,  the  ma- 
chinery has  been  increased  from  four  sets  to  thirteen  sets.  On  an  average  275 
operatives  are  employed.  It  is  a  notable  fact  that  this  mill  is  always  busy,  which 
speaks  for  its  products  being  of  the  highest  values  as  the  demand  never  slackens. 
The  mill  runs  twelve  hours  daily  every  day  in  the  year  except  Saturday,  when 
the  doors  close  at  midday. 

The  output  of  the  mill  finds  a  market  in  every  section  of  the  United  States. 
The  billing  and  collecting  is  all  done  at  the  home  office,  although  spacious  sample 
rooms  are  maintained  at  346  Broadway,  New  York,  by  the  firm  of  C.  C.  Valentine 
8z  Co. 

Upon  the  death  of  Jay  E.  Spaulding,  in  1910,  Mr.  Tiffany  was  elected  presi- 
dent to  succeed  him,  continuing  as  general  manager  as  before.  He  is  also 
manager  of  the  Winsted  Yarn  Co.,  a  concern  which  manufactures  yarn  solely  to 
supply  the  local  mills.  Mr.  Gaylord,  the  secretary  and  treasurer,  is  general  man- 
ager of  the  Winsted  Hosiery  Co. 


OFFICE  AND  FACTORY  WINSTED  HOSIERY  COMPANY,  WINSTED 


EMPIRE   KNIFE  SHOP,  WINSTED 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  431 

Throughout  a  period  of  over  forty  years  the  name  of  the  Winsted  Silk  Co. 
has  been  synonymous  with  the  best  grade  of  spool  and  embroidery  silk  manufac- 
tured in  this  country.  The  business  originated  in  1874,  having  been  established 
by  Eugene  and  Oscar  F.  Potter  and  J.  J.  Lawler.  The  incorporation  of  the 
industry  occurred  in  [883.  From  the  founding  of  the  business  to  the  present 
day  there  have  been  a  number  of  material  changes  in  the  personnel  of  the 
concern. 

The  plant  has  been  increased  in  floor  space  from  time  to  time  since  the  found- 
ing of  the  business,  until  today  it  comprises  a  very  large  two-story  and  a  half 
frame  building,  two  story  brick  office  building  of  modern  construction  and  several 
small  buildings  for  the  accommodation  of  the  machinery,  boiler,  engine,  etc. 
The  factory  is  built  on  strictly  sanitary  lines  and  the  operatives,  who  vary  in 
number  from  100  to  150,  rind  every  comfort  found  in  other  modern  factories. 
The  business  is  capitalized  at  $150,000.  It  is  admitted  by  the  trade  that  no 
company  produces  a  higher  grade  of  silk  thread  and  embroidery  silk  than  the 
Winsted  Silk  Co. 

The  Morgan  Silver  Plate  Company,  manufacturers  of  casket  hardware,  was 
incorporated  in  1888  under  the  Connecticut  laws,  with  a  capital  of  $25,000.  The 
company  bought  the  old  Clifton  mill  property  on  Clifton  and  Willow  streets  and 
has  made  many  important  and  substantial  improvements  from  time  to  time. 

The  main  factory  building  is  a  three-story  structure,  35x102,  in  addition  to 
which  there  are  storage  rooms,  boiler  rooms,  etc.  Every  modern  facility  is  in- 
cluded in  the  equipment  of  the  plant.  The  chief  trade  lies  with  undertakers  direct, 
for  whom  the  company  manufactures  casket  hardware  of  a  high  order. 

In  1900  the  company  acquired  the  business  of  making  champagne  taps  from 
T.  S.  Carroll,  and  this  is  a  department  now  carried  on.  In  1902  the  company 
added  a  section  to  the  building  for  the  manufacture  of  tin  tubes  for  the  trade,  as 
well  as  for  their  own  use. 

The  first  officers  of  the  company  were  James  T.  Morgan,  general  manager, 
formerly  connected  with  the  Strong  Mfg.  Co.,  and  Salmon  A.  Granger,  secretary 
and  treasurer,  formerly  superintendent  of  the  New  England  Pin  Co.  He  died 
in  1897  and  Mr.  Morgan  retired  in  1902.  Gilbert  L.  Hart,  who  holds  the  offices 
of  secretary,  treasurer  and  general  manager,  succeeded  Mr.  Granger  in  1897  and 
Mr.  Morgan  in  1902.  The  late  Jay  E.  Spaulding  was  president  of  the  company 
from  1891  until  his  death  in  1910.  He  was  succeeded  by  George  F.  Drake, 
treasurer  and  general  manager  of  the  New  England  Pin  Co. 

There  had  been  lumber  concerns  established  in  Winsted  before  the  Bronson 
brothers  founded,  in  1895,  the  business,  now  known  as  the  Tiffany  &  Pickett 
Co.,  but  none  ever  attained  such  large  proportions  or  importance.  The  latter 
succeeded  the  founders  in  April,  1905.  The  business  was  incorporated  under  the 
laws  of  Connecticut  in  September,  1900. 

The  plant  is  located  in  the  eastern  part  of  Winsted,  on  Rowley  Street,  at 
the  junction  of  the  New  York  &  New  Haven  and  the  Central  New  England 
railways.  Here  the  Tiffany  &  Pickett  Co.  controls  eight  acres  of  land  equipped 
with  2,500  feet  of  sidetracks,  thus  possessing  splendid  facilities  for  receiving 
lumber,  masons'  materials,  etc.,  in  carload  lots.  The  accommodations  as  they 
exist  today  represent  at  least  double  the  facilities  controlled  in  the  beginning, 
which  goes  to  illustrate  the  firm's  growth.  The  business  comprises  the  wholesaling 
and  retailing  of  lumber,  coal  and  masons'  materials,  also  the  manufacture  of  box 
shooks,  house  trim,  etc.  Every  modern  machine  is  installed  in  the  way  of  wood- 
working machinery.  Another  story  was  recently  added  to  the  lumber  mill, 
40x100,  doubling  the  capacity.    There  are  modern  engine  and  boiler  houses,  be- 


432      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

sides  a  box  factory  with  a  200  horse-power  engine  as  the  propeller.  There  is  a  log- 
sawing  mill,  substantially  built  on  cement  footings  and  having  a  capacity  for 
10,000  feet  of  lumber  daily.  There  is  a  40  horse-power  engine  in  conjunction 
with  this  department.    The  plant  is  the  largest  in  the  line  in  town. 

The  coal  handling  facilities  embrace  fine  pockets,  the  best  in  Winsted,  with  a 
capacity  for  2,000  tons,  all  under  cover  and  possessing  devices  for  filling  and  dis- 
charging by  gravity.     Thirty-five  skilled  men  are  employed  by  the  firm. 

The  Carter  &  Hakes  Machine  Co.  shows  a  steady  growth  since  it  was  estab- 
lished in  1899  by  F-  P.  Carter;  and  this  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  plant  was 
burned  down  in  1905,  when  located  on  Main  Street,  opposite  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
With  the  spirit  of  enterprise  worthy  of  note,  the  company  literally  picked  itself 
up  out  of  the  ashes  and  opened  a  plant  in  the  old  Kellogg  &  Wakefield  factory 
on  Lake  Street.  After  a  sojourn  of  two  years  at  the  Lake  Street  factory,  the  large 
tract  of  real  estate  now  occupied  by  the  laundry,  grist  mill,  yarn  mill,  carpenter 
shop  and  other  buildings,  was  purchased  of  Henry  Gay,  a  new  factory  was 
erected,  and  the  business  moved  to  its  present  location.  Here  every  modern 
facility  is  afforded  for  the  production  of  general  and  special  machinery.  This 
is  practically  the  only  machine  shop  in  the  town  where  this  particular  kind  of 
business  is  carried  on,  the  specialties  manufactured  comprising  machines  for 
milling  parts  for  automobiles,  bicycles,  sewing  machines,  typewriters,  guns,  etc. 
The  company  also  manufactures  special  machinery  of  almost  any  description, 
and  has  built  up  quite  a  trade  in  this  line.  The  plant  occupies  an  area  of  about 
18,000  square  feet,  this  being  distributed  throughout  three  stories.  On  an  average 
thirty-five  hands  are  employed. 

The  Winsted  Hardware  Mfg.  Co.,  one  of  Winsted's  youngest  enterprises, 
was  incorporated  in  June,  1910,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $100,000. 

The  company  purchased  the  Kellogg  &  Wakefield  plant  on  Lake  Street  and  a 
few  months  later  was  manufacturing  and  shipping  goods.  The  business  has  con- 
tinued to  grow,  as  it  is  bound  to  do,  under  the  present  able  management,  those 
in  charge  being  practical  men  and  thoroughly  acquainted  with  their  lines  of 
business.  About  fifty  hands  are  employed,  and  it  is  expected  that  in  time  the 
number  will  exceed  one  hundred. 

The  Goodwin  &  Kintz  Co.  was  incorporated  under  Connecticut  laws  on  March 
Nth,  1807.  with  a  capital  of  $12,000.  The  business  was  established  at  Shelton, 
with  George  Lamping  as  president,  Clemens  Kintz,  secretary,  and  Winslow 
Goodwin,  treasurer.  In  1899  the  business  was  removed  to  Winsted  and  the  capital 
was  increased  to  $24,000.  A  purchase  was  made  of  the  Winsted  Clock  Co.'s 
factory  on  North  Main  Street.  On  June  12,  1900,  President  Lamping  died  and 
James  G.  Woodruff  was  elected  president.  The  business  was  removed  to  the 
Winsted  Shoe  Co.'s  factory  on  Rowley  Street  in  1903  by  an  exchange  of  prop- 
erties. Two  new  brick  buildings  were  erected  for  a  plating  room  and  casting 
shop.  The  capital  stock  was  again  increased  in  1903,  this  time  to  $50,000.  The 
present  plant  comprises  about  33,000  square  feet  of  space.  Two  acres  of  land 
adjoining  the  premises  have  been  acquired  recently  for  the  purpose  of  extending 
the  plant  and  the  erection  of  another  building  is  contemplated.  The  number  of 
employees  averages  135,  many  being  skilled  in  their  respective  branches. 

The  factory  buildings  of  the  T.  C.  Richards  Hardware  Co.,  manufacturers  of 
upholstery,  fancy  and  general  hardware  and  brass  goods  and  one  of  the  leading 
industries  of  Winsted,  were  rebuilt  promptly  after  the  disastrous  fire  of  Jan.  5, 
i')  10.  which  almost  totally  destroyed  the  plant.  The  new  buildings  are  all  con- 
structed of  brick,  and  another  story,  making  five  in  all,  has  been  added  to  the 
main  building,  which  is  35x200  feet  and  graced  with  a  high  castellated  square 


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WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY  433 

tower.  These  works  are  located  directly  on  the  line  of  the  Central  New  England 
Railway  and  have  one  of  the  finest  water  power  privileges  in  Winsted  and  an 
excellent  steam  plant,  used  mostly  for  heating,  lacquering,  etc.  The  business  was 
established  in  1863  in  New  York  City  by  Thomas  C.  Richards  and  was  removed 
to  Winsted  in  1874  and  the  present  corporation  formed. 

The  founding  of  the  enterprising  chair  manufacturing  concern  now  conducted 
under  the  style  of  the  B.  J.  Harrison  Son  Co.  goes  back  to  the  year  1840,  when 
B.  J.  Harrison  established  the  business  in  New  York  City.  The  founder  died 
about  twenty-five  years  ago.  About  that  time  the  present  name  of  the  firm  was 
adopted.  The  business  was  brought  to  Winsted  in  1905  by  E.  P.  Jones,  who  still 
carries  it  on  under  the  name  of  the  B.  J.  Harrison  Son  Co. 

There  are  ten  different  kinds  of  chairs  made  here,  all  folding  chairs,  in  natural, 
mahogany,  rosewood,  grain  and  other  finishes.  In  addition  to  chairs  the  com- 
pany turns  out  hardwood  step-ladders  and  knock-down  card  tables.  These  goods 
have  a  great  vogue  and,  like  the  folding  chairs,  their  market  is  over  the  United 
States,  in  retail  and  wholesale  quantities ;  that  is,  from  one  chair  to  lots  of  thou- 
sands. 

Another  branch  of  business  is  conducted,  namely,  the  manufacture  of  cement 
vaults,  used  for  burial  purposes.  These  comprise  three  different  models  and  they 
are  sold  to  the  undertakers'  trade.  This  branch  was  added  in  April,  1909,  and 
it  has  already  proved  a  successful  enterprise. 

In  every  department  of  the  factory,  with  its  7,000  square  feet  of  floor  space 
and  the  annexes,  the  perfection  bestowed  upon  the  work  is  noticeable.  The 
products  are  first-class  and  the  business  has  developed  materially  within  the  past 
ten  years,  since  Mr.  Jones  removed  it  to  Winsted. 

The  growth  of  the  piano  and  organ  trade  in  this  country  is  making  it  one  of 
the  great  industries  of  America.  Contemporary  with  the  expansion  of  the  piano 
trade  is  the  natural  increase  of  stools  and  duet  benches.     It  is  a  unique  industry. 

The  John  W.  Roe  Piano  Stool  Mfg.  Co.  is  located  at  Boyd  and  Lake  streets. 
Mr.  Roe,  who  came  to  an  untimely  death  April  16,  191 1,  was  a  practical  cabinet- 
maker and  first  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  high-grade  piano  stools  and  duet 
benches  in  1902.  The  trade  has  grown  until  goods  are  now  shipped  to  all  parts 
of  the  United  States.  The  factory  comprises  a  main  building,  60x80  feet,  and 
another  structure,  22x80  feet,  these  netting  13,500  square  feet  of  floor  space, 
besides  a  boiler  house,  dry  kiln  and  other  buildings.  The  water  privilege  is  one 
of  the  finest  in  town.  The  plant  is  equipped  with  the  latest  improved  wood- 
turning  machinery  and  every  facility  is  afforded  for  turning  out  high  grade  piano 
stools  and  duet  benches  in  different  woods  and  of  various  artistic  designs.  From 
ten  to  twenty  qualified  hands  are  employed.  The  quality  and  beauty  of  the 
products  are  unquestioned. 

THE   WINSTED   CHAMBER   OF    COMMERCE 

The  first  meeting  in  the  movement  to  organize  the  Winsted  Business  Men's 
Association  was  held  December  4,  T903.  and  was  addressed  by  Messrs.  Holcomb 
and  Temple  of  Torrington  and  Mr.  Allis  of  Derby.  Arthur  L.  Clark  was  chair- 
man of  the  meeting,  and  Daniel  Colt  secretary.  A  committee  was  appointed  to 
draft  a  constitution  and  by-laws.  Two  days  later  the  association  was  formally 
organized.  J.  H.  Alvord  was  elected  president,  George  W.  Gage,  vice  president, 
and  Daniel  Colt,  secretary  and  treasurer. 

During  its  nearly  fourteen  years  of  existence  the  association  has  accom- 
plished many  things  of  importance  to  the  civic  life  of  the  borough,   especially 

Vol.  1—28 


434      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

in  the  way  of  agitating  vital  public  questions,  among  these  being  the  matter  of 
the  installation  of  water  meters,  disposal  of  sewage  and  garbage,  medical  inspec- 
tion of  schools,  besides  questions  of  general  interest  throughout  the  state,  the 
association  being  a  branch  of,  and  affiliated  with,  the  State  Business  Men's  Asso- 
ciation. 

The  organization  of  the  Winsted  Club  to  unite  the  various  interests  of  town 

o  m 

and  borough  more  closely  was  due  to  the  Business  Men's  association.  The 
objects  of  the  Winsted  Business  Men's  Association  are  to  "protect  its  members 
from  bad  debts  and  frauds,  to  promote  by  common  action  the  business  and  social 
interests  of  Winsted  and  its  citizens  and  to  co-operate  with  similiar  societies  and 
other  cities  and  the  State  Business  Men's  Association." 

It  is  now  known  as  The  Winsted  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  its  officers  are : 
President,  George  F.  Drake;  secretary,  Wm.  C.  Kemp;  treasurer,  Charles  V. 
Claflin. 

THE    WINSTED    CLUB 

The  first  movement  in  Winsted  having  as  its  avowed  purpose  the  uniting  of 
the  various  sections  and  interests  of  the  town  for  civic  betterment,  industrial  im- 
provement and  the  cultivation  of  a  higher  degree  of  sociability  among  the  resi- 
dents, took  form  in  the  organization  of  the  Winsted  Club  in  19 10. 

The  articles  of  incorporation  state  that  the  purpose  for  which  the  club  was 
formed  is  "to  inculcate  the  spirit  of  civic  pride  and  co-operation,  to  promote 
the  welfare  and  enhance  the  happiness  of  its  members."  A  lot  on  Fairview 
Heights  was  purchased,  and  an  artistic  and  commodious  clubhouse  was  occupied 
in  1Q13.  Its  officers  for  1917  are:  President,  Charles  K.  Hunt;  secretary,  Wm. 
R.  Buck ;  treasurer,  James  Hart. 

THE  WINSTED  Y.   M.  C.  A. 

The  present  organization  of  the  Winchester  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion dates  from  April  n,  1887.  Prior  to  that  time,  however,  the  work  had  been 
maintained  at  different  times,  but  not  on  a  permanent  basis.  Rooms  were  secured 
in  the  Wetmore  block,  over  where  the  postoffice  is  now  located,  and  friends  sub- 
scribed $1,500  to  maintain  the  work  for  a  year.  The  permanence  of  the  move- 
ment in  Winsted  was  largely  due  to  the  work  of  Edward  B.  Phillips  of  Phila- 
delphia, who  became  the  first  general  secretary.  Mr.  Phillips  proved  the  right 
man  in  the  right  place.  He  was  a  hard,  persistent  worker  and  a  champion  of 
every  good  cause  and  a  tower  of  strength  to  the  churches.  He  labored  here  for 
thirteen  years  and  his  efforts  were  ably  sustained  by  a  group  of  loyal  men  and 
women,  many  of  whom  still  stand  by  the  association  in  all  its  endeavors.  The 
officers  and  directors  at  the  time  of  organization  were:  President,  David  Strong; 
vice  president,  R.  E.  Holmes ;  recording  secretary,  L.  M.  Blake ;  treasurer,  George 
H.  Alvord  :  directors,  H.  L.  Roberts.  David  Strong,  C.  J.  York,  Gilbert  L.  Hart, 
L.  C.  Colt,  I.  B.  Woodruff,  J.  A.  Smith  and  George  Richards. 

At  the  same  time  a  women's  auxiliary  was  organized  and  became  a  strong 
support  to  the  organization  and  at  critical  periods  has  aided  the  association  with 
generous  gifts.  The  first  officers  were:  President,  Mrs.  C.  J.  Camp;  vice  presi- 
dents, Mrs.  David  Strong,  Mrs.  E.  P.  Wetmore,  Mrs.  John  Rippere,  Mrs.  R.  E. 
Holmes;  treasurer,  Mrs.  Henry  Gay;  secretary,  Miss  E.  Barrett;  church  rep- 
resentatives, Miss  Olive  Barber,  Mrs.  Emily  Steele,  Mrs.  Clark  Strong  and  Miss 
Xettie  Dean.    The  work  of  this  noble  band  of  women,  many  of  whom  are  today 


WINSTED  CLUB,  WINSTED 


WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY      435 

supporting  the  association,  has  had  much  to  do  with  the  progress  and  developing 
of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  With  the  strong,  aggressive  work  well  maintained,  the  rooms 
in  the  Wetmore  block  were  soon  outgrown  and  the  present  property  on  Main 
Street  secured. 

When  Secretary  Phillips  left  in  1900  to  enter  mission  work  in  Philadelphia, 
the  association  had  erected  a  gymnasium  in  the  rear  of  the  home  and  had  built  up 
a  strong  work  for  body,  mind  and  spirit. 

W.  A.  Wells,  an  experienced  secretary  in  Y.  M.  C.  A.  work  in  Connecticut, 
was  called  to  the  local  field  and  met  the  critical  conditions  wisely  and  sucessfully. 
During  his  term  of  service  G.  L.  Listman  was  called  to  devote  his  time  to  the 
work  of  the  gymnasium  and  became  the  first  physical  director. 

The  three  years  of  service  by  Mr.  Wells  were  years  of  progress,  and  when  he 
resigned  to  enter  business  in  Hartford,  Erwin  K.  Smith  of  Attleboro  was  called  to 
the  secretaryship.  During  his  three  years  of  service  the  final  payment  on  the  debt 
of  the  property  was  made  and  a  fund  for  the  new  building  started.  Physical 
Director  Philip  H.  Slocum  was  called  to  be  physical  director  to  succeed  Mr.  List- 
man,  who  went  to  Brooklyn.  J.  Frank  Leonard  of  Rutland,  Vt.,  followed  Mr. 
Smith  in  1906,  and  during  his  term  of  office  summer  work  was  carried  on  for 
the  first  time  and  the  all  around  character  of  the  work  maintained.  Both  Mr. 
Leonard  and  Mr.  Slocum,  after  less  than  two  years  of  service,  went  to  Meriden, 
and  W.  J.  Maylott  of  Owensboro,  Ky.,  and  A.  J.  Pitt  of  Ansonia  succeeded  them 
as  general  secretary  and  physical  director  respectively.  Mr.  Pitt  was  succeeded 
by  L.  J.  Denning  of  Taunton,  Mass.,  who  resigned  to  go  to  Alton,  111. 

Work  on  the  new  $45,000  Y.  M.  C.  A.  building  was  completed  late  in  1915. 

The  present  officers  (1917)  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  are:  President,  Darwin  S. 
Moore  ;  vice  president,  Fred  Strong ;  recording  secretary,  H.  L.  Slawson ;  treas- 
urer, Ralph  W.  Holmes. 

The  Ladies'  Auxiliary  to  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  organized  in  1887,  has  as  its  officers 
now  (1917):  Mrs.  C.  J.  Camp,  president;  Mrs.  J.  J.  Lawler,  secretary;  Mrs. 
.Alice  D.  Vaill,  treasurer. 

THE   BANKING  INSTITUTIONS   OF   WINSTED 

Winsted  is  particularly  fortunate  in  its  strong  financial  institutions.  The 
following,  which  are  the  reports  on  file  January  1,  1917,  give  an  idea  of  the 
stability  of  the  town's  banks : 

Capital       Surplus       Deposits 

Hurlbut  National  Bank $205,000     $205,770     $642,460 

First    National    Bank 100,000         35,990       250,000 

Mechanics  Savings  Bank 221,780     1,9^4,210 

Winsted  Savings  Bank 334,26o    2,455,770 


The  Hurlbut  National  Bank  of  Winsted  was  founded  in  1884.  Its  officers  are: 
President,  A.  L.  Clark ;  vice  president,  L.  W.  Tiffany ;  cashier,  W.  H.  Phelps ;  as- 
sistant cashier,  George  L.  Smith.  Its  directors  are  E.  B.  Gaylord,  D.  L.  Vaill, 
L.  W.  Tiffany,  E.  R.  Holmes,  W.  H.  Phelps,  James  G.  Woodruff,  and  G.  L.  Clark. 

The  Winsted  Savings  Bank  was  established  in  i860.  Its  officers  are:  Dudley 
L.  Vaill,  president;  S.  Landon  Alvord,  vice  president;  J.  Albert  Smith,  treasurer; 
Harold  N.  Goodwin,  assistant  treasurer. 

The  Mechanics  Savings  Bank  of  Winsted  was  organized  in  1875.  Its  office's 
are  as  follows :    H.  L.  Roberts,  president,  and  Charles  S.  Jopp.  treasurer. 

The  officers  and  directors  of  the  First  National  Bank,  which  was  founded  m 


436      WATERBURY  AND  THE  NAUGATUCK  VALLEY 

1879,  are  Lorenzo  M.  Blake,  president;  Joseph  A.  Norton,  vice  president;  Frank 
D.  Hallett,  cashier;  Charles  P.  Hallett,  assistant  cashier.  The  directors  are 
Edward  H.  Persons,  Lorenzo  M.  Blake,  Joseph  A.  Norton,  Henry  L.  Roberts, 
Luman  C.  Colt,  James  G.  Woodruff,  Frank  D.  Hallett,  Frank  Sackett,  Dwight  B. 
Tiffany. 

Winsted  has  shown  a  steady  growth,  particularly  in  the  past  few  years. 
According  to  the  Government  figures,  it  had  a  population  of  7,760  in  1900.  On 
July  1,  1917,  the  estimated  population,  as  given  by  the  U.  S.  census  authorities, 
is  9,345.  State  health  board  figures  place  the  population  at  nearly  11,000  in  the 
fall  of  1917. 


INDEX 


Abagadasset  Club,  The,  290 

Acids  and   heavy   chemicals,  239 

Aldermen,  Hoard  of,  takes  place  of  select- 
men, 6;   from  1893-1920,  14 

Algonquin  Club,  The,  291 

Almshouse,   The   City's,    29 

Amateur  dramatics  and  theaters,  301 

American  Brass  Company,  197-199;  constab- 
ulary of,  17 

American  Chain  Co.,  234 

American   Fastener  Co.,  196,  222 

American  Indian  Collection,  87 

A.  M.  E.  Zion  Church,  Winsted.  423 

American  Mills  Co.,   192,   238 

American  Pin  Co.,  191,  227 

American  Ring  Co.,  195,  215 

A.  0.  Foresters,  259 

Ancient  Order  of  Hibernians,  258 

A.   0.   U.   W.,   259 

Ansonio  Brass  &   Copper   Co.,   199 

Anti-Tuberculosis  League,  173 

Architecture,  Civic,  136 

Associated   Charities,   167 

Athletic  and   Sporting  Organizations,   293 

Atlas  Machine  Co.,  236 

Auditorium,  The  City  Hall,  42 

Automatic  Machinery,  230 

Autoyre  Co.,  The,  241 

Baby  Welfare  Station,  178 

Baird  Machine  Co.,  196,  243 

Ball    Heading    Machines,    234 

Bank  Hotel,   156 

Bank,  Seymour's,  368 

Bank  Street  Bridge,  32 

Banking  and  Insurance,  146 

Banks.   Savings,   147 

Banks  of    Naugatuck,    359 ;     of    Torrington, 

398;  of  Winsted,  435 
Bannatyne  Watch  Co.,  226 
Bar  Association.  Waterbury,  291 
Barge   Canal   Project,    30,    40;    Mr.    Preston's 

report,    40;    tidewater    and    distances,    40; 

appropriation   of  congress   for   survey,   40; 

Estimated  cost  of,  40 
Barlow,  Thomas  D.,  4,   11 
Bartlett,  Paul  Wayland,  57 
Baseball  Diamond,   54 
Baseball  League,   the   boys',    68 
Beach,  George  M..  15;   sketch  of,  21 
Beach.  George  W..  103 
Beacon  Falls  Rubber  Industry,  352 
Beginnings  of  Winsted  Borough,  412 
Begnal    School.  The,  72 
Benedict    &    Burnaham    Manufacturing    Co., 

193,   199.   227 
Benefactions  of  Elisha  Leavenworth,  283 
Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  255 
Berbecker  &  Rowland  Manufacturing  Co.,  191, 

221 


Bertillon  Room,  45 

Blake  &  -Johnson  Co.,  197,  231 

Blessed  Sacrament  Parish,  130 

Board  of  Education,  Torrington.  394 

Boards  of  Waterbury;  Finance,  5;  Education, 
64;  Police  Commissioners,  15;  Public  Safe- 
ty, 5,   15;   Public  Works,  5 

Bonded   Debt,  9,    10 

Books,   Rare,   in   Bronson   Library,   85 

Booth  &  Haydens,  194,  199 

Borough  government,  Naugatuck,  356 

Borough  Officers,   Torrington,   404 

Borough   Waterworks,    Winsted,  412 

Boys'  Club,  273 

Boy  Scouts  of  America,  277 

Brass  Industry,  180,  199,  214 

Brewers,  242 

Bridge,  the  steel,  over  Potatuck  River,  93 

Bridge  Bonds,  10 

Bridgeport  Social  Telegraph  Association,  101 

Bridges,  Waterbury's  new,  30;  completed  and 
contemplated,  32 

Bristol  Co.,  The,  194,  237 

Broadway  Hotel,  160 

Bronson,  Nathaniel   R..    14 

Bronson  Library,  The,  84;  branches,  86; 
Christmas  book  exhibition,  86;  fund,  5; 
memorial  tablets,  90;  officers  and  board  of 
agents,  86 ;    pamphlet  collection,  85 

Bronze  Products,  182 

Brooklyn    Athletic    Club,    294 

Brown's  Hotel,  156 

Buckles,  Metal  Buttons,  etc.,  241 

Bucks  Hill  and    Bunker   Hill    Schools,    66 

Bucks  Hill  Union  Chapel,  120 

Buildings  destroyed  in  great  fire  of  1902,  22, 
23 

Building  Trades  Council,  267 

Bunker  Hill  Congregational  church,  111 

Business,  Social,  Patriotic  Clubs,  285 

Buttons,  187 

Cairns.  Robert  A..  31,  33.  34 

Call  to  Arms,  1917,  314 

Calvary  Cemetery,   59 

Campbell,  Andrew  C,  Inc.,  197,  233 

Capacity  of  reservoirs,  33 

Catholic  Activities,  Other,  131 

Catholic  churches  of  Waterbury,  122 

Catholic  Women's  Benevolent  Legion,  293 

Celtic  Medical  Society,  292 

Cemeteries  and    Parks,    Waterbury's,    52 

Cemeteries,  Jewish,   60 

Cemeteries,  Torrington's,  402 

Census.   Watortown,  345 

Center  School  District  of  Waterbury,  The,  5, 

62 
Central  Labor  Union,  268 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  Waterbury,  226,  285 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  Torrington,  399 


437 


438 


INDEX 


Charities,  the  Board  of,  6,  29 

Charlotte   Hungerford  Hospital,   400 

Charter  of  new  Waterbury  city  government, 
5 

Chase,  living  H.,  13 

(  hase    Park,  54;  Recreation  House  of,  55 

Chase    Rolling  Mill  Company,  193 

( heshire  Loop,  94 

Chief  Engineers  of  Waterbury  Fire  Depart- 
ment. :.' ; 

Children,  employment  of,  79 

(  hristian  Science  Church,  Winsted,  423 

Chronicles  of  city  of  Waterbury,  Official,  4-29 

Church  History,.  Watertown,  340;  of  Nauga- 
tuck,   354 

Church  of  Immaculate  Conception,  123 

Church  property,  Torrington,  385 

Churches,  Thomaston's,  379;  of  Seymour, 
364;  of  Torrington,  394 

Citizens  National   Bank,   152 

City  Clerks,  Waterbury,  12 

(  tty  Court    Room,    46 

(  ,t\    Engineer's  plans  for  water  supply,  33 

City  Hall,  the  old,  42;  auditorium  for  the- 
atrical performances,  42;  remodeled,  42; 
lire  of,  43;  Annex,  43;  the  new,  44;  com- 
mission on  building,  44;  dedication,  "Old 
Home  Week,"  November  25-27,  1915,  44; 
description  of,  44,  45;  interior  arrange- 
ments and  decorations,  45;  dedication,  more 
details,  47;  sale  of  old,  48;  receipts  and 
•  xpenditures  for  site  and  building,  47 

City   L.mits  of  Waterbury  extended,  5 

Citv  offices  in  Lilley  Building,  43 

City  Officials,  Office's  of,  45 

<  ii\    Secu  ities,  10,  11;  interest  on,  11 

(  Lty   Sheriffs,  1893-1918,  13 

City,  town  and  school  governments,  consoli- 
dation of,  4,  5 

Civic  Architecture  of  a  Quarter  Century,  136 

Clark  Commander}',    248 

C.ark  School,  71 

Clearing  house,  the,  147 

Cock  and   Bell,   The  City  Hall,   46 

(hck  on  The  Green.  The',  48 

(  lock  Tower,  on  The  Green,  and  donations 
for,  56 

Cl<  ckmakers,  Town  of,  377 

Clocks,   Watches,  Pins,   etc..   224 

Clubs  and  Associations,  285 

(  <  e    Brass  Company.   199 

College   li  quest,  the  Porter,  83 

Colley's,  Mr.,  efforts  toward  part  improve- 
ments, 56 

Colonial  Trust  Company,  153 

Communication  and  Transportation,  92 

Community  Christmas   Trees,  283 

Community  Efforts,  Philanthropy  and  Re- 
forms,  27  0 

Comptrollers,  since  1893.  12 

Conflagration  of  February,   1902,  22 

C<  nnecticut   Brass  Foundry  Company,  218 

Connecticut  historical   collection,  89 

Connecticut   Manufacturing  Company.  223 

Connecticut  Railway  &  Lighting  Company, 
97 

1  ons  ;rvation  Plans  for  the  Naugatuck  River, 
37 

Constabulary,  Waterbury's,  16 

( 'out  inental   Lodge,  2  15 

Continuation    School,   76 


of     Masonic    Temple, 


323 ;   manu- 


Cooley  House,   156 
Corner     stone     layin 

Waterbury,   250 
Corporations,  active  and  lapsed 

facturing,  237;   dissolved,  333 
Cost  of  reservoirs  and  capacity,  40 
Country  Club  of  Waterbury,  The,  289 
Court   House,    The    Waterbury,    49;    buildin 

of  the  new,  dedication   and  cost, 

and  court  rooms,  50 
Craft  and  Industry  Institute,  280 
Croft,  Margaret,    sketch    of,    82 
Croft  School,    the    Margaret,    66 
Crosby,  Minot   Sherman,   81 
Crosby  High    School,    67;    crowded 

of,    in    1911,    69;    attendance 

improvements,  71 
Curtin,  Rev.  Jeremiah  J.,  134 


49; 


jury 


in 


condition 
1914   and 


Dams  and  Reservoirs,  33 

Dams  No.   1,  2  and   3,  as  projected,  39 

Dates  of  dissolution  of  Corporations,  333 

Daughters  of  America,   178 

Daughters  of  American   Revolution,    292 

Daughters  of  Rebekah.  252 

Davis,  William  H.,  273 

Dedication  of  New  City  Hall,  44 

Delmar  Hotel,   160 

De  Long  Company,  The,  234 

IHntal  Association,  Waterbury,  291 

Departments  of  Education  and  Public  Health, 

5 
Diamond  drills.  240 
Dime  Savings  Bank,  Waterbury,  151 
Dissolved  Corporations,  333 
Domestic  Science,  76 
Donovan,  M.  C,  83 

Doolittle,  Thomas  B.,  telephone  pioneer,  101 
Draft,  The,  314 

Drainage  and  water  supply,  33 
Drainage  Bonds,  10 
Drama  and  Music,  298 

Eagle  Brewing  Co.,  243 

Eagles,  Fraternal  Order  of,  261 

Earle's  Hotel,  156 

Early  closing  movement  in  Waterbury,  282 

Early  History  of  Thomaston,  377 

Early  History  of  Torrington,   387 

East  Main  Street  high  school,  64 

East  Mountain   Reservoirs,   33 

Eastern  Brass  &  Ingot  Company,  196,  218 

Education,  department  of,  5,  6;  the  Water- 
bury board  of,  64 

Egan,  Chief  George  M.,  15,   16,  19,  21 

Electric  Railroad   System,   96 

Electric  Railroads,  noted  managers  of,  105 

Elks,  The,  of  Waterbury,  255 

Elks  Club  in  Waterbury,  291 

Elks  Clubhouse,  Torrington,  402 

Elm-beetle  year,  the,  54,  55 

Elton,  John   P.,  11,  15 

Elton  Hotel,    156 

Employment  Offices,  Waterbury,  187 

Engine  Company  No.  1,  Waterbury,  21 

Eucl'd  Avenue  Park,  55 

Eureka  Chapter,  No.  22,  R.  A.  M.,  248 

Evangelical  Lutheran  St.  John's  church  of 
Waterbury,  119 

Evening  schools,  average  attendance  of,  61; 
attendance  in   1911.  69 


i\di:\ 


439 


Exemption  hoards.  :;14 

Exercises  at  dedication  of  City  Ball, 

Express  Companies,  100 


47 


Factory  contraction  in  Waterbury,  190 
Farrel  Foundry  &   Machine  Company,  230 
Federal  Building  of  Waterbury,  50 
Finances   of    Waterbury    in    last    twenty-five 

years,  6-11 
Fire  of  1902,  22;  fighting  the,  24,  25;  loss  of 

life,  25;  buildings  destroyed  and  value,  25, 

26;   its  eil'eets.   156 
Fire  Alarm   station,  the   Central,   of  Water- 
bury,   22 
Fire  and  police  departments,  Naugatuck,  361 
Fire  and  police  departments,  Winsted,  413 
Fire   Department    of    Waterbury,    history    of 

for     1893    to    1!>  17,    21;    buildings    of,    21; 

volunteers  of.  21:   equipment  of,  22;   force 

in    1917.   :.".'•.    chief   engineers   of,  27;    new 

home  in  City  Hall,  45 
Fires  of  last  quarter  century   in   Waterbury, 

26 
First  Baptist  Church  of  Waterbury,  116 
First    Baptist  Church,  Winsted.    422 
First  Church,  Congregational,  Waterbury,  107 
First  Church  of  Christ,  Scientist,  Waterbury, 

120 
First  Congregational  Church,  Thomaston,  379 
First   Methodist   Episcopal  Church  of  Water- 

bury,  114 
First  'settler  in  Torringford,  389 
First  town  meeting.  Winchester,  408 
Fitzhenry,  Peter,  14 
Fitzsimons,   Father,   59 
Flag,  Waterbury's  Municipal.  47 
Flag-Pole,  The.  56 
Flanders  Hotel,  100 
Foreign -born  population,  79 
Foresters,  259 
Foresters  of  America,  259 
Foundries  and  machine   shops.   230 
Fountains,   public,   53:    on    The   Green,   58 
Foxboro  Company,  The,  237 
Franklin.  Benjamin,   monument   of,    56 
Franklin  House,    156 
Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles,  Waterbury  Lodge, 

261 
French  Manufacturing  Company,  195,  217 
French  Societies,  265 
Fry,  B.  H.  &  Company,   190 

Gaffney,  -lames  F..  198 

Garbage  Disposal,  problems  of  Waterbury's, 
29 

G.  A.  R.  Post,  Waterbury.  295 

Gaylord   Farm   Sanatorium.   174 

General   Manufacturing  Company,  197,  222 

German  Evangelical  Lutheran  church  of  Wa- 
terbury, 118 

i  lerman   Societies.  266 

Gilbert    Home  for   friendless  children.  406 

Gilbert  Home,  The  William  L.,  416 

Gilbert  School,  -4<>r, 

Girls'  Club  and  Industrial  School.  Water- 
bury, 278 

Goodyear,  Charles.   350 

i,.  --.  donation  to  park  system,  .")■"> 

Gothic   Hall.  42 

Grade  Crossings,  elimination   of,  93 

i. land    l.i-t    of   Waterbury   since  1893,6.   7 


Grand  List.  Borough   of   Torrington,   403 
Grandview  Avenue  Bridge,  '■'<:: 
Green,  The,  52;   later  history  of.  :.."> 
"Green"    Line.   The,    100 
Grace  Baptist  church,  Waterbury,  118 
(.race  Methodist     Episcopal    Church,    Water- 
ville,  115 

Half   holiday  s.  2s2 

Hall.  S.  \\'..  bequest   for   Memorial  Chapel,  58 

Hamilton  Lark,  one  of  beauty  spots  of  Wa- 
terbury,   52 

Harmony   Lodge,  No.  42.   F.  &   A.   M..  245 

Hartford,  Windsor  and  Winsted  land  claims, 
407 

Hartford   Register   Company,    101 

Hart  Hollow,   390 

Hartley,  Oeorge,  196 

Hartley  Wire  Die  Company,  241 

Harty,'  Rev.  William  A.,  59 

Hay  den  collection,  90 

Haves,  A.  P.,  13 

Health,  Board  of  Public,  28;  officers,  28;  in- 
spectors, 28;  commissioners,  29 

Heavy  chi  micals,  239 

Heitman,  Chief  Engineer  Henry  H.,  27 

Hellman  Brewing  Company,  242 

Heminway  &  Bartlett  Silk  Company,  195 

Henderson  Brothers,   234 

Hendricken,  Father,  59 

Hendricken  School,  additions  to,   72 

Highways,  Torrington's  first,  389 

High  school  attendance,  68 

High  school  pupils,  number  of  Waterbury's, 
62 

High  Schools.  The  Crosby,  67;  The  Wilby,  81 

Historical  Society,  the  Mattatuck,  61 

History  of  Waterbury,  interesting  happen- 
ings in  the,  86 

History  of  Catholic  Church  in  Winsted,  424 

History  of  Torrington's  Cemeteries,   402 

History  of  Winsted's  Churches.   419 

Hoadley,  H.  G.,  232 

Hodson's  Hotel,  Waterbury,  160 

Holmes,  Booth   &  Haydens,  228 

Holy  Xame  Societies,  132 

Home  of  Rubber  Industry,  346 

Homes,  Some  Naugatuck.  362 

Hook  and  Ladder  Company  No.  2,  Water- 
bury,  21 

Hooks  and  Eyes.  Pins.  Needles,  etc.,  224 

Hosiery  Makers,  212 

Hospital,  Charlotte  Hungerford,  400:  Litch- 
field County.  41S 

Hotchkiss.  William  B..  11,  12 

Motels,    156 

Housing  problem,  Waterburv's,  141 

Hungerford,    Charlotte.  Hospital,  400 

Ice   Companies  of   Waterbury.  242 

Improved  order  of  Red  Men.  261 

[mprovement    Ponds.    10 

Improvements    on    Waterburv's    streets,    31 

Incorporations   tiled.   L894   1917,  323 

I.  i).  o.  F.,  251 

independent  Order  of  Foresters,  260 

Industrial  Development,  Watertown's,  342 

Industrial   Development.   Winsted's,  427 

Industrial   Expansion,  Torrington's.  391 

Industrial   School  and  Girls'  Club.  Waterbury. 


440 


INDEX 


Industries  of  Torrington,  larger,  386 
Ingersoll  "Dollar-'  Watch,  187,  224 
Ingersoll,  R.  H.  &  Brother,  225 
Insurance    and   Banking    History    of    Water- 
bury,  146;  recent  development  of,  155 
Institute  of  Craft  and  Industry,  280 
International  Silver  Company,  190.  237 
Iron  horse's  first  visit,  409 
Italian  Congregational    Church,    111 
Italian  Societies  of  Waterbury,  266 

Jackson,  Thomas  F.,  195 

Jacques'  Theater,  302 

Jewish  Cemeteries,  60 

Jury  and  Court  Rooms  in  New  Courthouse,  50 

Kalbfleisch  Corporation,  The,  190,  239 

Kellogg,  Frank  W.,  hero  of  Manila  Bay,  312 

Kennedy,  Joseph  P.,  83 

Kiefer,  Daniel,  4 

Kilduff,  Hon.  E.  G„  4,  11,  15,  18 

Kingsbury  Hotel,  160 

King's  Daughters,    177 

Knights  of  Columbus,   256 

Knights  of  the    Golden    Eagle,    263 

Knights  of  Maccabees,   264 

Knights  of  Pythias,  253 

Kork-N-Seal  Caps,  240 

Labor  Organizations,  267 

Ladies'  Auxiliary,  A.  O.  H.,  258 

Lamps,  187 

Lane  Manufacturing  Company.  241 

Larkin,  William  J.,  13 

Leavenworth,  Elisha,  229 

Leavenworth,  Elisha,  donation  to  Franklin 
Monument,  56 

Leavenworth,  Elisha,  gifts  of,  54,  87,  283 

Letter  carriers'  organization,  51 

Lewis,  Truman  S.,  gift  toward  clock,  56 

Liberty  Loans,  Red  Cross,  etc.,  316 

Liberty  Street  Bridge,  32 

Library,  The  Bronson,  84;  Seymour,  368; 
Torrington,  399;  Waterbury,  61;  Water- 
town,  342 

Library  Park,  54,  58,  86 

Lilley,'  Hon.  George  L,   13,  319 

List  of  Incorporations  filed,  1894-1917,  323 

Litchfield  County  Hospital,   418 

Local  Unions,  268 

Long- Wind  Waterbury.  The,  225 

Loose-leaf  metal  ring,  241 

Losses,  few  manufacturing,  243 

Loss  of  Life  in  Fire  1902,  25 

Loyal  Order  of  Moose,  260 

Ludington  Cigaret  Machine  Company,  233 

Lux  Clock  .Manufacturing  Company,  227 

McGivney  day,  135 

McGrath,  John  F.,  13 

Machine  Shops  and  Foundries,  230 

.Mad    River,  405 

Mad  River  Bridge,  32 

Manufacturers' Foundry  Co.,  191,  2.35 

Manufacturers' National  Bank,  152 

Manufacture,  Seymour's,  368 

Manufacturing     Corporations,     Waterbury's, 

237 
Mam  ille   Brothers  Company,  243 
Manville,  E.  J.  Machine  Co.,  191,  231 


Margaret  Croft  School,  66 
Masonic  and  other  fraternal  orders,  245 
Masonic  Building  Fund   Trustees,  245 
Masonic   Choir,    300 
Masonic  Temple,  250;   dedicated,  251 
Mattatuck  Historical  Society,  The,  61;   erec- 
tion of   Sled  Hall   Brook   memorial   tablet, 
48;    purposes,   etc.,    86;    list   of   collections, 
88;   officers  and  committees  of,  91 
Mattatuck  Manufacturing  Company,  194,  221 
Mattatuck  Rod  &   Gun  Club,  294 
Matthews    &    Willard    Manufacturing    Com- 
pany, 198,  213 
May   Festival,   1917,   300 
Mayors  of  Waterbury,  11;  vote  on,  11,  12 
Medical  Association,   Waterbury,   291 
Memorial  Chapel,  the,  58;   dedication  of,  59; 

renovation  of  and  donations  to,  59 
Merchants  Trust  Company,  153 
Metal  buttons,  buckles,  etc.,  241 
Metal  Specialties  Company,  236 
Metal  Specialty  Manufacturing  Company,  197 
Methodist  church,  Thomaston,  380;   Winsted, 

421 
Mexican    border   troubles,   313 
Military  activities,  312 
Military  Band,  Boys'  Club,  276 
Miller,  Mahlon  D.,  railroad  man,  104 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  262 
Monuments  to  Roehambeau's  army,  317 
Morden   Manufacturing   Company,  241 
Morris  Plan  Bank,  149 
Morris  Reservoirs,   33 
Mothers'  Club,  The,  293 

Mount  Olive  A.  M.  E.  Zion  church  of  Water- 
bury,  116 
Movie  period,  The,  303 
Mulcahy,  Rev.  John  A.,  59,  SO 
Mulcahy  School,  the,  65;  fire  of  the,  71 
Murder  cases,  celebrated.  17 
Museum,  the  Bronson  Library,  85 
Music  and  the  drama,  298 
Mutual  Aid  Society,  The,  15 

Naturalist  Club,   The,  290 

National  Company,   197.  218 

National  Guard  arrives  in  Street  Car  Strike, 

19,   20 
National  Wire  Mattress  Company,  243 
Naugatuck,  346 

Division,    92 

Division  double-tracked,  30 

Fire  and   Police  Departments,  361 

From  Colonial  Period,  347 

Homes,  some,  362 

Public   Utilities,   360 
.   Railroad  Company,  409 

River  Conservation,  30,  37 

River,  diverting  the,  30 

Schools,  353 

Y.  M.  C.  A.,  etc.,  362 
Naugatuck's  Banks,  359 
Naugatuck's  Churches,  354 
Naugatuck's  early      industrial     development, 

349 
Naugatuck's  new  post  office,  361 
Naugatuck's  principal  industries,  350 
Needles,  pins,  hooks  and  eyes,  183,  224 
New  Britain  Machine  Company,  232 
New  England  Order  of  Protection,  263 


INDKX 


441 


New    England  Watch  Company,  194 
Newspapers,     Torrington.    401;     Waterbury, 

307  j   Winsted,   125 
New  York  and  New  England  Railroad,  94 

New  York.  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad, 
double    tracks    Naugatuck  Division.   30 

New  York.  New  Haven  cv.  Hartford  Railroad, 
improvements  on.  93 

New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad, 
\  iaduct,  32 

Noera  Manufacturing  Company,  196,  222 

Xosahogan  Piscatorial  Association.  290 

Notre  Dame,  Academy  of,  80 

Novelty  Manufacturing  Company,  220 

Oakville  Company,  The.   L95,  229 

Odd  Fellows.  2.->  l 

odd  Fellows  Hall  dedicated,  253 

Old  Home   Week,  44 

Old  Home  Week,  addresses  by  Revs.  Daven- 
port. Buckley,  Anderson,  Fitzsimons,  Cap- 
tain Wolff,  Mayor  Scully,  and  others,  48; 
celebrations,  banquets  and  parades  in  hon- 
or of  Governor  Holcomb  and  other  notables, 
Colonel  Geddes,  grand  marshal,  48;  chil- 
dren's parade,  47;  dedication  of  new  city 
hall,  47 

O'Neil  &  Warner,  193 

One  thousand  hands  employed,  229 

Open  Air  School,  the,   78 

Open  air  sports,  55 

Oratorio  performances,  299 

Order  of  Heptasophs,  261 

( >rder  of  Owls,  264 

Order  of  the  Silver  Star,  265 

Order  of  United  American  Mechanics,  262 

Our  Lady  of  Lourdes  Parish,  129 

Over  Age  classes,  76 

Panneton,  George,  198 

Paper  making,  373 

Park  appropriations,   Waterbury.  -52 

Park  Bonds,  Waterbury's,   10 

Park  property,  valuation  of,  Waterbury,  55 

Parks  and  cemeteries,  Waterbury,  52 

Parks,  Torrington's,    402 

Parochial  Schools.  Waterbury,  80 

Patrick  Sarsfield  Club.  297 

Patriotic  Societies,    296 

Patriotic  and  Social  Clubs,  285 

Patrons  of  Husbandry,  265 

Pavement  record,  Torrington,  404 

Paving  Bonds,  Waterbury,  10 

I 'easier,  James  A.,  13 

Pension  Fund.  Waterbury  police  department, 

15 
Philanthropy,  etc.,  270 

Physical  training  in  Waterbury  schools,  68 
Pilling  Brass  Co..  196,  217 
Pin  Companies.  The,  227 
Pine  Grove  Cemetery.  59;   trustees  of,  60 
Pins,  needles,  hooks  and  eyes,  187,  224 
Pitch  Brook  reservoir,  Prospective.  33 
Piatt.   Lewi-    A..   13 
Piatt.   A.  .V  Co.,  220 
Piatt  Brothers  &   Co..    193.   219 
Playgrounds.   .">:;•.    first   community,   68 
Plume  &  Atwood  Manufacturing  Co.,  190.  199, 

214,   229 
Poli's  Theater.  302 
Vol.  1—29 


Police.  Department  of,  1">:  private,  16;  super- 
intendents of,  21:  modem  quarters  in  new 
City  Ball,   15 

Police  Commissioners,  Board  of,  15 

Police  ( tar  age,  45 

Police  pension  fund,   L5 

Police  reserve  fund,  15 

Police  signal   system,   the  Gamewell,   15 

Police  and  lire  departments,  Winsted,  413 

Population,  growth  of  Waterbury's,  31 

Population  of  Torrington,  385 

Porter  College  Bequest,  the  David  G.,  83 

Postoffice,  The  old  Waterbury,  50;  in  Odd  Fel- 
lows Building,  50;  site  of  new  building, 
50;  guaranty  fund,  50;  growth  of,  51 

Postoffice,  new,  Naugatuck,  361 

Postal  deliveries,   51 

Postal  routes  and  postal  carriers,  51 

Postal  savings   department.   51 

Postal  substations,   51 

Postmasters  of  Waterbury,  51 

Princess  Theater,  304 

Probate.  Judges  of,  since   1893,   13 

Professional  and  Business  Clubs,  285 

Proprietors,  Common,  53 

Protestant  churches,  Waterbury,  107 

Public  Health.  Department  of,  5;  commis- 
sioners of,  29 

Public  Safety,  Board  of  5,  15 

Public  Works,  Board  of,   5 

Public,  private  and  parochial  schools,  61 

Public  utilities,  Naugatuck,  360 

Pupils,  Enumeration  of  School,  61 

Purification  tanks  and  sewage  disposal,  Wa- 
terbury, 35 

Queen's  Daughters,  178 

Railroad  contests.   Waterbury's,  98 

Railroad  viaduct,  32 

Randolph  &  Clowes  Company,  194,  199,  215 

Rapid  growth  of  Torrington,  385 

Rare  editions  in  Library,  85 

Recent  Insurance  History  of  Waterbury,  155 

Reeves,  Francis  T.,  11,  12 

Reforms,  etc.,  270 

Recreation  Rod  and  Gun  Club,  293 

Red  Cross,  Liberty  Loans,  etc.,  316 

Red  Men,  Order  of,  261 

Red  Mountain,  387 

Representatives,  Waterbury's,  to  State  Leg- 
islature, 13 

Reservoirs,  built  and  prospective,  33 

Reservoirs  for  water  supply.  30 

Rialto  Theater,  304 

Riggs,  G.  G.,   198 

Riots,  Street  Car,  17,  18 

Riverside  Cemetery,  53:  Waterbury's  oldest 
burial   plot,    58;    trustees,   59 

Riverside  Drive,  improvements  on,  54 

Rochambeau,  Monuments  to,  317 

Rogers  &  Brother,  196,  237 

Rogers  &  Hamilton  Company,  237 

Root,  Judge  Charles  G..  4 

Rowbottoin  Machine  Company,  191,  233 

Royal   Arcanum.  265 

Rubber  industry,  the,  346 

Rubber  industry  at  Beacon  Falls.  352 

Rural  Routes,  51 

Russell  School,  the.  65 


442 


INDEX 


St.  Ann's  church,  Waterbury,  126 

St.  Cecilia's  parish,  127 

St.  Francis  Xavier  parish,  128 

St.  James*  Protestant  Episcopal  church,  Win- 

sted,  422 
St.  John's  Episcopal  church,  Waterbury,   112 
St.  Joseph's  cemeteries,  old  and  new,  59 
St.  Joseph's  parish,  128 
St.  Margaret's  parish,  130 
St.  Margaret's  School  for  Girls,  79 
St.  Mary's  Hospital,  164 
St.  Mary's  Parochial  School,  80 
St.  Patrick's  church,  Waterbury,  124 
St.  Paul's  Episcopal  church,  Waterville,  114 
St.  Paul's  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  Water- 
bury, 115 
St.  Stanislaus  parish,  131 

St.  Thomas'  Catholic  church,  Thomaston,  381 
St.  Thomas  parish,  Waterbury,  129 
Sacred  Heart  church,  Waterbury,  125 
Sacred  Heart  Convent,   80 
Saengerfests   in    Waterbury,   301 
Salvation  Army,  178 
Sandland,  William  H.  11,  12 
Savings  Banks,  147 
Savings  Records,  148 

School,  The   Continuation,  76;    the   open   air, 
78;   the   salesmanship,   78;    the  vocational, 
72 
School  additions  in  1910.  Waterbury,  68 
School  and    city    governments,    consolidation 

of,  63 
School  Bonds,  Waterbury,  10 
School  Census,  61;  in  1904,  66;   in  1907,  67; 

in  1912,  69;  in  1917,  82 
School  conditions  in  1911  described  by  super- 
intendent, 68 
School  districts,  consolidation  of,  4,  5 
School  enumeration   in   1916,  Waterbury,   72 
School  enrollment,  Torrington's,  385 
School  expenses,  Waterbury,  62 
School  property,  value  of,  Waterbury,  74 
School  registration,  1917,  82;  medical  inspec- 
tion, 82 
School  report  of  superintendent  in  1912,  69 
School  rooms,  number  of,  61 
School  taxation,  62 

Schools,  Waterbury,    61;    crowded    conditions 
of,   66;    physical  training  in,   68;    superin- 
tendent given  full  control  of,  71;   new,  in 
1915,  72;   parochial,  80;   private,  79 
Schools  of  Watertown,   341;    of   Naugatuck, 

353;  of  Seymour,  367;  of  Torrington,  393 
Scovill  House,  156 
Scovill  Manufacturing    Co.,     194.     199,     204; 

private  police  of,  16 
Scovill  Park  donations,  55 
Scully  Martin.  11,  12,  16 
Second  Advent   Christian   Church   of   Water- 
bury, 119 
Second  Baptist  church  of  Waterbury,  118 
Second  Church,    Congregational,    109 
Second  Congregational  church,  Winsted,  420 
Senators,   Waterbury's,  to  the  state  legisla- 
ture, 13 
Seth  Thomas.  383 

Sewage,  bonds.  10;  pollution  and  damages 
recovered.  ::.">:  disposal.  30;  plan  for  plant, 
35 


Sewer  construction,  20;   during  last  twenty- 
five  years,  37 
Sewers,  principal,  36 
Seymour  Smith  &  Son,  Inc.,  234 
Seymour  churches,  364 
Seymour  Electric  Light  Co.,  374 
Seymour  Public  Library,  368 
Seymour  Record,  The,  364,  375 
Seymour  schools,  367 
Seymour,  the  town  of,  364 
Seymour  Water  Co.,  374 
Seymour's  Bank,  368 
Seymour's  Fire  Department,  375 
Seymour's  Manufacturing  interests,   368 
Seymour's  Park  and  monument,  375 
Seymour's  three  names,  364 
Seymour's  town  officers,  376 
Shepherds   of   Bethlehem,   263 
Sheriffs,  city  of  Waterbury,  13 
Shoe  Hardware  Co.,  190,  219 
Silk  Industry  in  Winsted,  431 
Simonsville  Manufacturing  Co.,  223 
Site  of  Waterbury,  30 
Skating  rink,  Waterbury,  53 
Sled  Haul  Brook  Tablet,  47 
Slocum,Very  Rev.  William  J.,  59,  132 
Slocum  school  plans,  70 
Small-wire  drawing,  240 
Smith,  J.  E.  &  Co.,  195 
Smith's  Hotel.  160 

Smith  &  Griggs  Manufacturing  Co.,  196,  219 
Snagg,  Samuel  C.  22;  report  of,  22,  23;  biog- 
raphy of,  27 
Snap  buttons,  etc.,  236 
Snap  fasteners,  buckles,   etc.,   241 
Social  Service  Club,  Waterbury,   171 
Social  Clubs,  Waterbury,   285 
Societies,  Seymour,  376 
Soldiers'  Monument,  Waterbury,  56 
Soldiers'  Monument,  Watertown,  344 
Soldiers  to  Ticonderoga,  409 
Somers  Co.,  Inc.,  223 
Sons  of  St.   George,  263 
Sons  of  Veterans,   296 
Southmayd  Home,  176 
South    Methodist    Episcopal    and    West    Side 

Hill  Churches,  116 
Spanish-American  War   celebration,   313 
Sporting  Organizations,  293 
Sprague  School,  the,  66;  fire  of  the,  70;  gym- 
nasium, 71 
Spring  Lake  Ice  Company,  242 
Stafford  House.  160 
Stag  Hotel,  160 

Standard  Electric  Time  Company,  244 
Standard  Engineering  Company,  197 
Stanley  Park,  53 

State  Free  Employment  Bureau,  187 
State  Legislature,  representatives  of  Water- 
bury to,  13 
Steele's  Brook  bridge,  32 
Steele   &   Johnson    Manufacturing   Company, 

193,  218 
Strand  Theater,  304 
Stratton  Hotel,   156 

Streets,  widening  and  reconstruction  of,  Wa- 
terbury, 31 
Strike,  Street  car,  of  1903.  17 


INDEX 


443 


Superintendent  of  Waterbury  schools  in  full 
charge  of  physical  as  well  as  educational 
end  of  system,  71 

Superior  Court  for  New  Haven  County,  49 

Swedish  Baptist  Tabernacle,  118 

Swedish  Evangelical  Lutheran  Zion  Church  of 
Waterbury,  119 

Swedish  Societies,  266 

Swimming  pool,  Waterbury's  public,  53 

Symphony  and   Philharmonic  orchestras,  298 

Tanneries,  427 

Taxation  of  schools,  62 

Tax  collectors.  City,  since  1893,  12,  13 

Tax  rate  for  twenty-five  years,  8,  9 
Teachers,  the  training  school  for,  65 

Telegraph  companies,  100 
Telephone  advancement,  102 
Telephone  exchange,   the   first   in   the   world, 

102 
Telephone,  list  of  subscribers,  103 

Telephone  managers  of  Waterbury,  105 

Telephone,  present  equipment,  103 

Telephone,  The,  in  Connecticut,  101 

Temperance  movement,  The,  280 

Tennis  courts,  community,  68 

Tennis  grounds,   54 

Terry.   Eli,  381 

Theaters  and  amateur  dramatics,  301 

Third    Church,    Congregational,    Waterbury, 

110 
Thomaston,  town  of  Clockmakers,  377 
Thomaston's  industrial  development,  381 
Thomaston's  town  history,  378 
Thomas,  Seth,  383 
Thomas.  Seth,  Clock  Co..  384 
Thorns.    William    E.,    11,    14 
Thoroughfares,  Construction  of   principal,  30 
Tinker,  B.  W..  sketch  of,  80 
Tierney,  Rev.   Michael,   59 
Torringford  Settlement  389 
Torrington  churches,  394 
Torrington  geographically,  387 
Torrington  Library,  399 
Torrington  News,  The,  401 
Torrington  Register,   The.   401 
Torrington's  Banks,  398 
Torrington's  borough  history,   403 
Torrington's  cemeteries,  402 

Torrington's  chamber  of  commerce,  399 
Torrington's  Elks   Clubhouse,  402 
Torrington's  first  highways,   389 
Torrington's  industrial  expansion,  391 
Torrington's  larger  industries,  386 
Torrington's  newspapers,  401 
Torrington's  parks.  402 
Torrington's  rapid  growth.   385 
Torrington's  schools,  393 
Torrington's  Y.  M.  C.  A..  400 
Town  Clerks.  Waterbury.  13 

Town  officers,  Seymour's.  376 
Town  plot  school  district.  The.  64 
Town's  cemetery,   60 
Tracy,  Cornelius.  13 
Training  School  for  Teachers,  65 
Transportation  and  communication,  92 
Transportation,  Seymour's,  375 
Treasurers  since  1893,  city  of  Waterbury,  12 
Trinity   Episcopal    church,    Thomaston,    380; 
Waterbury.   113 


Trolley  catastrophe  of  1907,  93;  strike  of 
1903,  17;  report  on  by  chief  of  police,  19; 
expense  of,  20 

Trolley  system,   expansion  of.  96;   managers 

of,    105 

Union  Chapel,   Mill   Plain,   120 

Union  Station,  93 

In  ions.  Local,   268 

United  Charities,   175 

United  Order  of  Golden  Cross.  264 

United  Order  of  Pilgrim  Fathers,  264 

Village  Improvement   Society,  Watertown,  344 
Vocational  .School,  the  new.   72 
Vote  on  Mayor,  1893-1917,  11,  12 

Wadham  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  295 

Wage  Earners.    188 

Walsh  School,  the,  65 

War  and  Military  Activities.  312 

War  Funds,  316 

War  relics,  revolutionary  and  civil,  90 

Watches,  clocks,  pins,  etc..  224 

Washington  House,  The  General,  362 

Water  Bonds,  Waterbury,  10 

Water  resources  of  the  Naugatuck  valley,  38 

Water  System.  30,  32 

Water  tower  on  Hill  Street.  34 

Waterbury  American,  The,  307 

Waterbury  Automobile  Club,  290 

Waterbury   Battery  Company,  192,  239 

Waterbury  Boys'   Club,   273* 

Waterbury  Building  Trades  Council,  267 

Waterbury  Brass  Company,  192 

Waterbury  Brass  &  Bronze  Company,   197 

Waterbury  Brass  Goods  Company,  196,  217 

Waterbury  Buckle  Company.   197.   221 

Waterbury  Button  Company.  195 

Waterbury  Castings  Company,  190,  235 

Waterbury  Clearing  House,  147 

Waterbury  Clock  Company,  187,  192.  225 

Waterbury  Club,  The,  288 

Waterburv  Corporations,    active    and    lapsed, 

323 
Waterbury  Council.  Xo.  21.  R.  &  S.  M.,  248 
Waterbury  Crucible  Company.  195,  243 
Waterbury  Cutlery    Company.   192.   241 
Waterbury  Hay  Nursery,  175 
Waterbury  Democrat.   The,   3D? 
Waterbury-Derby  Barge  Canal  Project,  30,  40 
Waterbury  Driving  Association,  290 
Waterbury  Farrel  Foundry  Company,  230 
Waterbury  Farrel  Foundry  &  Machine  Com- 
pany, 191 
Waterbury  Foundry   Company,   198,  235 
Waterbury  Hospital,   161 
Waterbury  Ice  Corporation,  242 
Waterbury  in  State  Affairs.   319 
Waterbury  Instrument  Company.  242 
Waterbury  Jewel   Company.  240 
Waterbury  Lumber  &  Coal  Company,  198 
Waterbury  Machine  Company,  192,  230 
Waterbury  Manufacturing  Company,  193 
Waterburv  Masonic  Aid  Association,  249 
Waterbury  Masonic  Temple.  250 
Waterbury  Metal  Wares  Company.  223 
Waterbury  National  Bank.  154 
Waterbury  Paper  Box  Company,  195,  238 
Waterburv   Pistol    and   Rifle   Club.   294 


444 


INDEX 


Waterbury   Pressed  Metal  and  Tool  Company, 

236 
W 'aterbury  Republican,  The,  308 
Waterbury  Rolling  Mills,  196,  216 
Waterbury  Savings   Bank,   150 
Waterbury  Standard  Tool  Company,  236 
Waterbury  Superior  Court,  49 
Waterbury  Tool  Company,  197,  232 
Waterbury  Traction  Company,  96 
\\  aterbury  Trust  Company,  154 
Waterbury  Welding  Company,   198 
Waterbury  Women's  Club,  292 
W  aterbury's  Catholic  Churches,  122 
Waterbury's  housing  problem,  141 
W  aterbury's  nearest  neighbor,  346 
Watertown  and  its   industries,  339 
Watertown  Census,   345 
Watertown  Church  History,  340 
Watertown,  D.  A.  R.,  345 
Watertown  Fire  Department,  344 
Watertown  industrial  development,  342 
Watertown  Library.  342 
Watertown  Schools,  341 
Watertown  Town   Officials,   345 
Waterville  Cemetery,   60 
Waterville  Chapel,    121 
Waterville  Corporation,    193 
Webster  &  Briggman,  197 
Webster,  Daniel  F.,  11,  13 
Webster  School,  improvements  on,  67 
Weekly  and  Monthly  Press,  The,  310 
Welch,  H.  L.  Hosier v  Company,  242 
Wells,  A.  H.  &  Company,  194,  216 
Welton  Fountain,  the,  58 
Westover  school,  the,  79 
West  Side  Savings  Bank,  153 
Whipping  post,  411 
White,  L.  C.  Company,  222 
White  &  Wells  Company,  The,  239 
Whittemore  Bridge,  The,  357 


Congregational 


Church, 


406 


Whittemore  Gifts,  The,  358 
Whittemore.  John  H,  37 
Whittemore  Memorial  Library,  354 
Wigwam  Reservoirs,  33 
Wilby  High  School,  the  new,  81 
Wilby,  Stephen  W.,  sketch  of,  81 
Williams  Sealing  Corporation,  240 
Wilmot,   Robert,    198 
Winchester    Center 

421 

Winchester  merged,  406 
Windermere  Park,  52 
Windsor  Hotel,   160 
Windsor  Land  Claim,  407 
Winsted  Banks,  434 
Winsted  Club,  The,  434 
Winsted  History  from  Colonial  Days, 
Winsted  in   the  Hills,  405 
Winsted  lighting  system,  414 
Winsted  newspaper  history,  425 
Winsted  Schools,  History  of,  414 
Winsted  Sewer  System,  414 
Winsted  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  434 
Winsted's  Church  History,   419 
Winsted's  Industrial  Development,  427 
Winsted's  public  library,  417 
Winsted  Silk  Co.,  The,  431 
Wire-drawing  dies,  240 
Wire-working  machinery,  236 
Wolcott,  Governor.  388' 
Wolcottville,  388 
W.   C.   T.   U.,   282 

Women's  Clubs  and  Associations,  292 
Woodmen  of  the  World,  262 
Workmen's  Circle,   263 
Workmen's  Compensation  Law,  189 


Young,  Alden  M.,  105 

Y.  M.  C.  A.,  etc.,  Naugatuck,   362;   Torring- 
ton,  400;  Waterbury.  270:  Winsted,  434 


University  of 
Connecticut 

Libraries 


